Lost boy survives five days in Zimbabwe park teeming with lions

Harare: A seven year old boy was found alive after being lost for five days in a reserve home to lions and other wild animals in northern Zimbabwe, th...

Harare: A seven-year-old boy was found alive after being lost for five days in a reserve home to lions and other wild animals in northern Zimbabwe, the wildlife authority said Friday.

The boy wandered into the Matusadona National Park next to his village on December 27 and was found five days later and about 50 kilometres (about 30 miles) away, ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said.

He had survived on wild fruit and water that he found by digging into a river bank, a technique known in Zimbabwe's drought-prone areas, Farawo said in a statement.

"Remarkably, it is estimated that he walked through the harsh terrain of the lion-infested Matusadona National Park for 49 kilometres from his village to the point where he was found," Farawo said.

Rangers, locals and police launched a search for the child immediately after hearing that he was missing but their efforts were hindered by heavy rain.