3-YEAR-OLD GIRL SURVIVED 11 DAYS IN THE SIBERIAN WILDERNESS WITH HER DOG_ WHO LATER LED RESCUERS TO HER

When 3-year-old Karina Chikitova went missing in Siberia’s remote Sakha Republic, she had nothing but the clothes on her back and the companionship of her little dog. She survived by drinking water from a river and eating small berries she managed to find in the forest. To protect herself from the freezing nights, she curled up next to her dog, using his body heat as her only blanket. Despite her age, she showed remarkable instincts — following the riverbank to stay close to water and crouching low in tall grass to stay hidden from wolves and bears that roamed the area.

After more than a week, her dog finally left her side and returned to the village, alerting rescuers that Karina was still alive. Guided by the dog, the search team trekked deep into the wilderness and discovered the girl lying weak but alive in a grassy nest she had made for herself. Thin, dehydrated, and covered in insect bites, she had endured what many adults could not.