A young boy survives 5 lost nights in an “unforgiving theme park” filled with lions, hippos and elephants.

A young boy has been rescued after surviving for five days in a theme park filled with lions and elephants in Zimbabwe, a lawmaker said this week.

Motsa Murumbidzi, a member of the Zimbabwean Parliament, said on Wednesday Post on social media that Tinotenda Pudu had lost his way to Matusadona Game Park and ended up “sleeping on a rocky place, amidst visiting lions, passing elephants… and the unforgiving wilderness,” before rangers eventually found him.

Zimbabwe’s National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority confirmed the incident and said Budo was just 7 years old, CBS News partner BBC News said. The BBC quoted the Parks Authority as saying that the young boy was wandering about 30 miles from where he lives.

Murombedze said Budo survived thanks to his knowledge of the wilderness and survival skills, eating fruit and digging in dry riverbeds to find water.

She said members of the local Nyaminyami community launched their own search and beat drums daily in the hope that Budo would find his way home, but in the end it was rangers who discovered “small new human footprints” and were able to track him down.

Covering approximately 570 square miles, Matosadonna Game Park is home to elephants, hippos and lions, all of which can pose a threat to humans. According to the BBC, it is currently home to about 40 lions.

Murombedze praised the rangers and the local community for their tireless efforts to find Bodo, and described his safe return as “a testament to the power of unity, hope, prayer and never giving up.”