What happens when you realize your five-year-old, who you thought was under the watch of another guardian, was missing the entire time? A little girl from Olom wandered from her village in an attempt to follow her father as he left for volunteer firefighting work. Karina Chikitova left with her dog, but she ended up getting lost along the way.
Karina’s grandmother thought the little girl was with her father all along, while the latter presumed his daughter was just at home the whole time.
It took several days before they all realized Karina was missing.
The panic stricken parents immediately sprung into action and a search team was on the way.
The alarming discovery was made worse by the realization that she was in an area of the Siberian wilderness inhabited by bears and wolves. Karina was with her dog Nadia when she went missing. The survival instincts of the five-year-old were impressive.
To keep herself from going hungry, she picked wild berries and drank water from the river.
Then, come nighttime when temperatures dropped to almost freezing, her loyal and trusted companion would snuggle her to make sure she stayed safe and warm.
After nine long days, the dog returned to the village. The animal’s presence troubled the parents – they believed that without the dog by Karina’s side, she wouldn’t be able to survive. However, the dog’s return also prompted the search team and the rest of the family to redouble their efforts. The exhaustive search kept on for three days more, until finally, they found the little girl.
The dog led the team of rescuers to where Katarina was.
She was waiting in a hole that the dog had dug. Had it not been for the drones and spotting planes overhead, rescuers wouldn’t be able to easily spot her as the hole was concealed in high grass.
She was found a little more than three and a half miles from home.
Karina was lying on a bed of grass, tired, hungry, and covered in mosquito bites.
Fortunately, not a single bear or wolf made an appearance, and Karina and her dog were safe the entire time. Despite the mosquito bites and minimal injuries, the little girl was in one piece and happily reunited with her family once more.
Afanasiy Nikolayev, a spokesman for the Sakha Republic Rescue Service, shares how the puppy helped them locate the girl. He also explained how traces of bare feet led them to believe that Karina did not attempt to enter the forest because of the sharp sticks on the ground.
“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.”
It took a search team of almost a hundred to help rescue Karina and bring her home.
She was brought to the hospital for a series of treatments. Thankfully, no serious injuries were found. Because of the amazing adventure Karina had, she has since been nicknamed a real-life Mowgli. How many five-year-olds survive in the wilderness where wolves and bears roam free?
It wasn’t just Karina who had the entire world buzzing with her incredible story. Naida, her loyal companion, was the real hero of the story. He kept her safe and warm while she was far from home, and amazingly enough, retraced their steps to bring rescuers to where the little girl was waiting.
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