IIHONGO – Twelve-year-old Salom Samuel Shangula survived five days in the Etosha National Park by drinking rainwater that had accumulated in elephant footprints and sleeping under the trees.

Acting regional commander of the Namibian Police Force, deputy commissioner Titus Ekandjo said Shangula went missing while collecting mopane worms with his grandmother, Lahja Kambonde, on 23 February 2025.
The missing boy was found five days later by Ministry of Environment Forestry and Tourism officials and Namibian Police Force (NamPol) officers in the Okuma area in the Etosha National Park.

Shangula described his ordeal as a difficult experience that he would never forget.
“I left my granny to look for water to drink and I got lost on the way back,” he told Nampa.
He added that during his time in the national park, he saw wild animals such as wildebeest and jackals.

“I was shocked when I saw a lion’s spoor,” he said.
During the day, he would climb up trees and call out for his grandmother, while he spent the nights sleeping under the trees. The constant rain forced him to seek shelter, and when cold, he used his jersey for warmth.

His only source of hydration was rainwater gathered in the prints left by elephants.
Shangula was lying beside a gravel road when officials from the Ministry of Environment found him.

“I am very happy to be reunited with my family,” Shangula said.
He has been living with his grandmother since he was six years old.
The 65-year-old Kambonde said she could not sleep while her grandson was missing.

“I had sleepless nights and I cried every day,” she said.
Kambonde said immediately upon discovering that her grandson was gone, she informed the people who collect mopane worms with her, and they started searching for him.

“We informed everyone on our way who then started following us,” Kambonde said.
She added that she was terrified of how her grandson would survive the heavy rain, hunger, and wild animals in the park.
The police said the boy was found around 05h00 on 28 February.
-Nampa