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A three-year-old girl was plucked to safety after surviving for a remarkable 11 days and nights lost in the Siberian taiga - infested with bears and wolves.
Rescuers say Karina Chikitova was saved by her puppy who kept her warm for more than a week before leaving her side to return home and summon help.
"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," reported The Siberian Times.
"Rescuers searching for her confronted a bear highlighting the extraordinary danger she faced."
Astonishingly, the worst the child's inly injuries were mosquito bites and scratches to her feet.
Karina wandered away from her home in a remote village, accompanied by her puppy whose name has not been revealed despite its heroism.
Lost in the wilderness, the small girl made herself beds in the long grasses, which are common in the south-west of the Sakha Republic - Russia's largest region - in summer.
However, these made it impossible for search helicopters and drones to spot Karina who was wearing only a red undershirt and purple stockings when she was discovered.
Karina's mother, who has not yet been named, believed her daughter was with her father Rodion when he left on a trip on July 27 to his distant native village.
But he did not realise his daughter had followed him with her puppy and she became lost in the taiga.
Experts say her chances of survival for such a long period were minimal - Sakha is Siberia's coldest region in winter but at this time of year the nighttime temperatures can reach around 6C.
It was not until four days later, when Karina' s mother was finally able to get through to Rodion on the phone, that the couple made the horrific discovery their daughter was missing.
A massive search operation was launched, and the family were initially devastated when Karina's puppy returned to the village of Olom in Olyokminsky district without her.
Afanasiy Nikolayev, a spokesman for the Sakha Republic Rescue Service, said: "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."
Instead the loyal pooch turned out to be heroic and led rescue teams to his beloved owner's side. Along with the dog's guidance, rescuers spotted traces of the youngster's bare feet.
"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."
Karnina was reported as being conscious and looking well. After being given something to eat and drunk she was taken to hospital with her mother by her side
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