In a story that has captivated the nation, a Zimbabwean eight-year-old boy, Tinotenda Pudu, has been miraculously rescued after surviving five harrowing days alone in the wildlife-rich Matusadona Game Park in Mashonaland West province, near the nation's border with Zambia.
The child, who had wandered away from his rural Kariba home, faced the perils of the wilderness, encountering lions, elephants, and the unforgiving terrain.
Mashonaland West Proportional Representation Member of Parliament, Mutsa Murombedzi, shared the incredible tale on X, highlighting the boy's journey and the community's unwavering efforts in the search.
“A true miracle in remote Kasvisva community, Nyaminyami in rural Kariba, a community where one wrong turn could easily lead into a game park. 8-year-old Tinotenda Pudu wandered away, lost direction and unknowingly headed into the perilous Matusadona game park,” she recounted.
Tinotenda's ordeal involved traversing 23km from his home, sleeping precariously on a rocky outcrop, and navigating the dangers of the wild.
“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,” Murombedzi stated.
The MP vividly described the challenges the young boy faced: “His ordeal, wandering 23km from home, sleeping on a rocky perch, amidst roaring lions, passing elephants, eating wild fruits and just the unforgiving wild is too much for an 8-year-old.”
Remarkably, Tinotenda survived by consuming a wild fruit known as Nchoomva in Tonga, a fruit similar to, or possibly the same as, the Tsvanzva. His resourcefulness extended to obtaining water. “It is Tsvanzva like or its actually the Tsvanzva. Then water he would go on the dry riverbank and use hands and a stick to dig a Mukàla in Tonga or what we call Mufuku in Shona and drank water from there,” Murombedzi explained.
This demonstrates the survival skills he had learned from living in a drought-prone area.
The MP expressed profound gratitude for the various parties involved in the rescue. “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 and get the direction back home and everyone who joined the search. Above all, we thank God for watching over Tinotenda and leading him back home safely. This is a testament to the power of unity, hope, prayer and never giving up,” she said.
During his time in the wilderness, Tinotenda heard a park ranger vehicle and attempted to reach it, but unfortunately, missed his chance, only later noticing the vehicle tracks. He returned to his rocky refuge. However, fate intervened.
“While in the jungle, Tinotenda reportedly heard a park rangers vehicle and tried to run towards the sound but was late only to see vehicle markings in the off the beaten path in the game park. He then went back to the rocky outcrop but luckily when the park rangers used the same path on their return, they saw fresh little human footprints and scoured the area and found him,” Murombedzi detailed.
“This was probably his last chance of being rescued after 5 days in the wilderness,” she added, emphasizing the near-miss nature of the rescue. Upon his rescue, Tinotenda was reportedly frail and required intravenous fluids to regain his strength.
“On water what saved him is the technique learnt from a young age in dry and drought prone areas of drawing water from a dry riverbank – digging a mufuku,” Murombedzi noted.
