A young boy has been found alive after surviving five days in a game park inhabited by lions and elephants in northern Zimbabwe, according to a member of parliament.

The ordeal began when Tinotenda Pudu wandered at least 23 km (14 miles) from home into the “perilous” Matusadona Game Park, said Mashonaland West MP Mutsa Murombedzi on X.

He spent five days “sleeping on a rocky perch, amidst roaring lions, passing elephants, eating wild fruits”, she said.

Matusadona game park has about 40 lions. At one point, it had one of the highest lion population densities in Africa, according to African Parks.

The Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority confirmed the incident to the BBC but said the boy was seven years old rather than eight, as the MP had said, and walked 49 km (30 miles) from home.

Murombedzi said the boy used his knowledge of the wild and survival skills to stay alive.

Tinotenda survived his ordeal by eating wild fruit. He also dug small wells into dry riverbeds with a stick to access drinking water – a skill taught in the drought-prone area.

Members of the local Nyaminyami community started a search party and beat drums each day to try and guide him back home.

But ultimately, it was park rangers who managed to find him.

On his fifth day in the wild, Tinotenda heard a ranger’s car and ran toward it, narrowly missing it, the MP said.

Luckily, the rangers returned, spotted “fresh little human footprints,” and searched the area until they found him.

“This was probably his last chance of being rescued after five days in the wilderness,” said the MP.

The park is over 1,470 sq km (570 sq miles) and is home to zebras, elephants, hippos, lions, and antelope.

Across social media, people have been praising the young boy for his resilience.