Girl lost in Siberian wilderness for eleven days rescued by her puppy

The three-year-old survived by living on berries and river water before her puppy led rescuers to her.

A young girl was rescued after spending 11 days in the Siberian wilderness when her puppy guided rescuers to her.

Karina Chikitova is reported to have been found huddled in some tall grass in the remote Sakha province. Karina and her dog had become lost while following her father who had left to go to a neighbouring village.

Her mother originally thought she was with her father and, as they have no phone connection, the truth was only discovered four days later. A search party of over 100 people was immediately launched.

The three-year-old survived by eating wild berries and drinking river water in the taiga which is home to bears and wolves. Her puppy stayed with her for nine days before returning home.

Afanasiy Nikolayev, spokesman for the Sakha Republic Rescue Service, told the Siberian Times that they thought this meant the worst for Karina.

“If she was to hug her puppy, we thought, this would have given her a chance to stay warm during nights and survive," said Mr Nikolayev.

“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 lost all hopes. Our hearts truly and deeply sank."

Watch her rescue at around 3 minutes in

Incredibly, that wasn’t the end of the story. Karina's puppy then led the rescue party to the little girl who was conscious and said to be in surprisingly good condition.

“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,” said Mr Nikolayev.

Karina is currently regaining her strength in hospital and is said to have suffered no serious injuries - only a few scratches and insect bites.

What a strong little girl - and what a good puppy!