Officials said that a child who had been missing for five consecutive days and had not been seen since was discovered alive in a large game park in northern Zimbabwe inhabited by wild animals such as big cats.
According to a Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority statement, the boy had been reported missing on December 27 from his rural village home. The authority did not name the child but stated that he was seven years old. ZimParks reported that a joint search effort was launched immediately by park rangers and police officers, as well as members of the local communities. However, heavy rains hampered the efforts.
ZimParks reported that human footprints were found in a part of the Matusadona National Park, on December 30. The boy was located early the next morning.
ZimParks reported that “remarkably, it’s estimated that he walked 49 kilometers (30 miles), from his village to where he was discovered,” through the rough terrain of Matusadona National Park infested with lions. “During this time, he lived on wild fruits, and dug a small hole near the dry riverbank to get underground water for drinking, a method that is common in areas prone to drought.”
The boy was reunited with his family. According to ZimParks, he was first taken to a clinic in the area for a preliminary exam and then transferred to a hospital nearby for further evaluation.
Mutsa Murombedzi is a Zimbabwean MP for the Mashonaland West Province, which includes the Matusadona National Park. She wrote on X in a blog post that the boy was “very frail” when he was rescued and “had been put on an IV drip.”
Murombedzi said that the technique he learned at a young age, in areas prone to drought and dry conditions, of digging a hole on a riverbank dry was what saved him.
The lawmaker expressed gratitude to everyone who assisted in finding the child. This included the “brave” park rangers and “tireless” local residents who “beat night drums every day” hoping that the boy would hear and follow the sounds back home.
She wrote: “This is a testament to the strength of unity, faith, prayer, and never giving up.”
The Matusadona National Park, which covers an area of about 1,470 square kilometers (570 square miles), once “supported the highest density of lion in Africa, and was an incredible stronghold for elephant and black rhino,” according to the nonprofit African Parks.
African Parks’ website states that “despite past challenges, Matusadona still hosts a variety of mammal and bird species, including lions, leopards, buffaloes, zebras, elephants, hippopotamuses, and a variety of antelopes.”