‘True miracle’: Child survives lion-infested jungle for 5 days after losing direction; social media reacts

The jungle survival story of an eight-year-old boy from northern Zimbabwe is making the rounds on social media. Lost in Matusadona National Park, the boy named Tinotenda Pundu survived five days using skills from his community while living among wild animals.

The boy, who defied the odds, wandered away from his village on December 27. His survival story has left social media both stunned and amazed. Rangers from Matusadona Africa Parks,the Nyaminyami community, and local volunteers searched extensively for the missing boy. Subsequently, after 5 days of search operation, the boy was located around 50 km away in a weak and dehydrated condition.

What is remarkable about this real-life story that seems unreal are the ways the boy survived over the period amid wilderness. To stay alive, he relied on resourcefulness. The brave boy quenched his thirst by digging for water using sticks along a riverbank, a survival kill taught him in his drought-prone region. He satisfied his hunger by eating a wild fruit called tsvanzva.

Social media reaction

A user stated, “This is a miracle. Lions are a big threat in those areas. Sometimes climbing a high mountain to locate direction of the village helps.” Another user wrote, “Some beautiful news to start the year." Enquiring about his tribe, a third user commented, “This little boy has got something big in him. He’s no ordinary… So brave! He must’ve some Royal blood in his veins.” A fourth user remarked, “He’s going to have one hell of a story to tell when he gets back to school.”

Meanwhile, the community members didn't lose hope and used traditional methods such as drumming at night to help guide him home.

Calling the boy's discovery a ‘miracle,’ local member of Parliament P Mutsa Murombedzi described the boys ordeal in a post on X and stated, “Tinotenda Pudu wandered away, lost direction & unknowingly headed into the perilous Matusadonha game park."

She added, "After 5 long, harrowing days in the jungle near Hogwe River, which feeds into Ume river, the boy has been found alive by the incredible rangers from Matusadona Africa Parks.”

The MP informed that the child slept on a rocky perch amid the wilderness. The treacherous terrain housed lions, elephants and other perilous creatures, but it failed to deter the resilience of the human spirit to stay alive and fight back.