adminTWO boys aged 13 and 14 have told how they had lions for company after surviving two nights in a dense forest near the Victoria Falls.
Brighton Dube, 14, and Samuel Chuma, 13, left home on a fishing expedition at Woodlands Farm last Saturday morning but got lost in thick vegetation amid heavy rainDisoriented, the lads drifted further into the woods in unrelenting rain, sleeping in trees. The two friends had their toughest night on Sunday after two lions camped at the foot of the tree while they clung on to branches, cold and hungry. Back home, Victoria Falls tour operators had come together with their families to form a search party.
Shearwater Adventures scrambled a helicopter which gave rescuers an eye from above, while Stanley & Livingstone Lodge brought resources to assist in the search. Brighton, speaking from Victoria Falls Police Station told The Chronicle on Tuesday: “We left our homesteads to do some fishing at the dam in Woodlands Farm on Saturday morning.
“Suddenly the skies darkened and we knew heavy rains were coming. Soon there was thunder and heavy downpours and we found ourselves lost in the forest.” As night fell, the lads realised they could fall prey to the wild animals in the area, including lions which roam freely. Said Samuel: “We decided to climb up a tree and sleep there for safety. That was the first night and we couldn’t really sleep because we were afraid of falling down. The night was just too long.”
The boys said they climbed down the tree on Sunday morning and started looking for a possible way home, now feeling exhausted and hungry. “We were cold and hungry, but we didn’t have a choice,” he said. – The Chronicle.
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