An 8-year-old boy has been found alive after spending nearly a week alone in a game park filled with dangerous animals, including lions and elephants, in northern Zimbabwe.
The incredible rescue has been described as a “true miracle.”
Mutsa Murombedzi, a member of Zimbabwe’s parliament, shared the news of the boy’s safe return on January 1 through social media. She posted a photo of the child on X and said, “A boy missing & found in Matusadonha game park.”

The child, identified as Tinotenda Pudu, had wandered away from his remote community in Kasvisva. Murombedzi explained that one wrong turn could easily lead to the nearby Matusadonha Game Park, which is home to dangerous wildlife, including elephants, lions, and buffalo, as reported by BBC and CBS News.
The search operation began quickly, with the local Nyaminyami community working tirelessly to find Tinotenda. Every day, they beat drums in the hope that the child would hear the sounds and use them to guide his way home.
The breakthrough came on the fifth day when Tinotenda heard a park ranger’s vehicle. He ran towards it but missed it. Later, the rangers returned to the area and found “fresh little human footprints.” They followed the tracks and eventually found the boy.
Murombedzi described the moment as the child’s last chance to be rescued after five days in the wilderness. She thanked the park rangers and the Nyaminyami community for their unrelenting efforts. “We are overwhelmed with gratitude to the brave park rangers, the tireless Nyaminyami community who beat night drums each day to get the boy hear sound & get the direction back home & everyone who joined the search,” she wrote on X.
She also expressed her gratitude to God for keeping Tinotenda safe and bringing him home, calling the entire event a testament to “the power of unity, hope, prayer and never giving up.”