A 3-year-old girl is safe after surviving 11 days lost in a Siberian forest, guarded by her dog that finally was able to leave and alert rescuers, The New York Daily News reported on Wednesday.
Karina Chikitova hid in tall grasses, ate berries and drank river water after becoming disoriented and falling down while following her father on a visit to his native village. The little girl's mom thought Karina had accompanied her dad on his trip on July 29, but the father had no idea that she had been following him.
Cellphone reception is poor in the Sakha Republic and neither parent was able to piece together that their daughter was missing until they could finally connect four days later, The New York Daily News reported.
A helicopter and drone were launched by rescuers, but they were unable to find the child in the dense forests that contain wolves and bears. She was unable to be seen, having made herself a bed and hunkered down in the grasses.
Nights in Siberia are very cold and her family feared the girl would die from exposure to the temperatures without her dog to keep her warm. The dog showed up alone at the family's house nine days after Karina left.
The dog eventually led rescuers to the isolated location where the child was kneeling in high weeds. They gave her food, water and carried her out of the forest.
Ekaterina Andreeva, a psychologist with the rescue team, said Karina was doing well despite her ordeal.
"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," Andreeva said, according to The Siberian Times.
Karina is in a hospital where doctors are working to build up her strength. She sustained scratches, but no broken bones or other serious injuries.
