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Three year old miracle girl found alive after 11 days in Siberian taiga - thanks to her puppy

By 0 and 0 and 0
11 August 2014

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'I carried Karina myself to the car, and she was light as a bird. She was hardly ten kilograms - but amazingly she was fully conscious.' Picture: SakhaPress

Details are emerging today of the heroic rescue of the girl in the remote Sakha Republic, thanks to her loyal and loving dog. 

Karina Chikitova was huddled in tall grass after wandering away from home, apparently following her father Rodion who had left to go to his native village on 29 July. 

The mother believed she and her dog had gone with her father and in this part of remote Siberia had no way to check because of a lack of phone connections, discovering the awful truth only four days later, when a search was launched.

The girl aged three years and seven months survived by eating wild berries and drinking river water in territory roamed by wild bears and wolves. 

Little Karina made herself a bed in the grasses, which are common to the south-west of Sakha in summer, but they meant that helicopters and drones were useless in searching for her in the bear-infested taiga.

Ininitally her family and the rescue teams were distraught when the dog - which has not been named despite its heroic role - returned to the girl's village of Olom in Olyokminsky district .

'Two days before we found Karina her puppy came back home,' said Afanasiy Nikolayev, spokesman for the Sakha Republic Rescue Service.

Rescuers discuss the plan of rescue operation


Rescuers gather for search


Rescuers in the forest

'That was the moment when our hearts sank, because we thought at least with her dog Karina had chances to survive'. Pictures: NTV

'That was the moment when our hearts sank, because we thought at least with her dog Karina had chances to survive - night in Yakutia are cold and some areas have already gone into minus temperatures. 

'If she was to hug her puppy, we thought, this would have given her a chance to stay warm during nights and survive. 

'So when her dog came back we thought 'that's it' - even if she was alive - and chances were slim - now she would have definitely have lost all hopes. Our hearts truly and deeply sank.'

But the puppy guided the rescuers to the stranded girl.

'It was Karina's puppy that helped the adults find the girl,' said a report by NTV news. 'When it came back home two days ago her family had lost hope, thinking this definitely meant Karina had no chance. 

'But then it was the puppy that showed rescuers the way to Karina, and in the morning she was found.' The report said  'she was conscious and looked surprisingly well. 

'She was given food and drinks, and then with her mother she was first sent to the district hospital and then to Yakutsk. 

'She doesn't want to speak about the time she spent in taiga, or not yet. The only thing she said that she was eating berries and drank water from rivers'.

Mowgli girl Sibeia

Karina sitting in the grass


Karina with her mother


Karina carried to the car of rescuers

'We only made 20 metres and saw Karina sitting in the grass'. ' Pictures: SakhaPress, NTV

Nikolayev said that the rescuers saw traces of her bare feet. 'We began searches, thinking that if she had lost her shoes she would try and stay away from the deep forest, because there is a lot of sharp sticks there. In the morning, almost right after we began searches - we only made 20 metres - we saw Karina sitting in the grass. We rushed to her, got her a little tea and grabbed her to run back to the car and doctors. 

'I carried Karina myself to the car, and she was light as a bird. She was hardly ten kilograms - but amazingly she was fully conscious.'

Ekaterina Andreeva, a psychologist with the rescue team, said: 'We can say that the girl's mind was not hurt. She is talking, she reacts normally to everything around her. She recalls what happened to her.'

Karina is now in hospital in Yakutsk where medics are seeking to build up her strength. She had no serious injuries like broken bones, only scratches, especially on her feet because she was walking without shoes for a long time.

She was badly bitten by mosquitoes and other insects.

Karina in helicopter safe and sound


Karina in the hospital

Karina had no serious injuries - only scratches, especially on her feet because she was walking without shoes for a long time. Pictures: YSIA, SakhaPress

Lyudmila Nikolaeva, head of children care department of Republican hospital Number 1, said: 'The patient was moved from intensive care to a regular ward, she is getting food in small portions'.

Around 100 people had been hunting Karina, accompanied by hunters and special forces soldiers in an area especially known for bears. 

Comments (67)

She's lucky that dog was clearly smart asf! God or whatever is out there doesn't have time for 1 child so be thanking the dog witch ppl don't even deserve most of the time! Their Smart, actually loyal unlike people in most cases, protective, and I'm glad that little girl had a dog looking out for her.
J, Money
04/04/2021 05:47
5
8
God almighty took care of this child! Her parents were praying or someone was I assure you. God works in all sorts of ways to do great things. He is powerful and mighty! I love dogs and I’m thankful God gave us such wonderful pets. For those of you who waste your time and efforts putting down God and his people I can’t even begin to understand why you feel the need to be so negative and mean. Even if you choose not to believe in God why all the mean spirited negativity? If you don’t have anything positive to say why not just say nothing?
Candra Robinson , USA
09/11/2018 10:31
7
20
Brave girl and the faithful dog made the miracle.
Fuli Zhao, USA
28/06/2017 01:49
6
2
Hi Jewel, if you would like to view the picture of the dog that saved the girl, then u can view it the following dailymail link : http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3193550/Remarkable-recovery-Mowgli-girl-5-survived-12-nights-Siberian-wilderness.html
Martin, Nights Watch
30/07/2016 02:53
6
4
I was expecting the dog's picture too who saved the little girl......
Jewel Bharaty , Mumbai/ India
22/04/2016 04:03
16
2
Sure would be nice to see people stop thanking sky fairies for doing good deeds .. Their imaginary friends had zero to do with this little girl being found ... Thanks to all the good men and women that worked together to find her ... .
Josh, Hamilstone .. Canada ..
06/04/2016 06:36
32
17
I agree with Arc Light the child was adjusted and then placed to the location.
Alex , Saint Petersburg. Russia
24/02/2016 12:57
2
2
Why are so many people angry that God is mentioned, but have nothing to say about the story itself? Some of you folks have got your priorities mixed up! I, for one, am thankful that this little girl was found alive and safe.
The Kraut, Atlanta, GA USA
26/01/2016 09:27
9
8
It is a wonderful story! Kudos to all the searchers and the loyal hero dog.

God is to be thanked and praised. Allegory or otherwise, it was Adam and Eve that chose not to trust God and abandoned the paradise that God had created for them. Instead they chose the path of Satan (who is temporally lord of the earthly world).

God repeatedly forgives, starting with Adam/Eve, Cain, Israel, ..... and ultimately by offering His own Son, Jesus The Christ, as Saviour from the spiritual death that results from sin, for those that confess Him as Lord. All well documented in the Bible.

Yet I read the posts that seem to dump on God for allowing humans freedom of choice and its consequences.
Forgiven Singh, Abbotsford, Canada
31/12/2015 22:59
12
36
God; person, place, time, or space, I'm thankful to hear this inspirational story. Not to a person, or a thing, or the box religions force upon us, but something larger than ourselves, something that lives in a place of unconditional love and wisdom. Something that is above our human suffering because it is not human, or physical, but sees death as if we're caterpillars transforming into butterflies. It is an idea or a possibility to this complex world we are experiencing. Science is a beautiful art but we have so much more to learn. Don't be angry or frustrated with each other, that is only conflict within yourself. Look for yourself, not a god, or a voice to tell you what to do, but seek your own path. Everyone has truths, use theirs to find your own and ignore their faults.
Unboxer, in the earthspace
30/12/2015 08:50
10
17
The comment that read "the comment that thanked god came from someone who is most likely a Sikh, not a Christian" that was referring to the comment "was annoyed because Christians thank God" annoyed the shit out of me. Sorry there are people that would rather thank the men and women that worked hard to find that girl lost in the woods, not some imaginary being that give you a false sense of purpose in life. Religion is dumb, and makes people dumb. The only difference between Xenu and God is street cred, get it?
There is no God. , New Jersey USA
30/12/2015 03:45
33
35
Can't you people just enjoy a happy ending without worrying what or who other people hold responsible? God, a dog, or just a very resilient little girl, does it really matter?
MaebyG., Eversong Woods, Azeroth
30/12/2015 03:19
11
4
Thank the most magnanimous Dog!
Jezebel, Krakov
30/12/2015 01:52
25
1
ITT: A lot of butt-hurt little petulant babies that were forced to go to church as children and now are fedora tipping garbage neckbeards.
Smarter than you., Krakatowa
30/12/2015 01:48
16
20
THANK GOD she survived!
Anderson Fortaleza, Fortaleza/Brazil
30/12/2015 01:23
22
31

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