Six-year-old Karina Chikitova was just four when she survived 12 days in a forest filled with bears and wolves.
Nicknamed Mowgli after The Jungle Book, Karina had wandered into the Siberian wilderness with her puppy, Naida, after she had followed her dad when he left their village in the Sakha Republic – the coldest region in Russia.
For 12 days the little girl had to endure the threat of wild animals and near-freezing temperatures. Armed guards had to protect searchers from bears who searched in vain for days.
Rescuer Albert Semyonov said: "The forest around Olom is full of bears. Close to the gunners we felt somehow calmer. However, the thought of bears immediately switched to another concern: somewhere in the forest was this helpless child."
Her puppy stayed with her for nine days keeping her warm and safe, before finding her way back to the family home and getting help.
Three days later, little Karina was found “hungry, exhausted and covered in mosquito bites” sleeping in a grass hole after miraculously surviving against all the odds.
To celebrate "the love of life, resilience, and fortitude of this little Yakut girl, and the devotion of her puppy", local sculptor Nikolay Chochchasov created a bronze monument entitled Girl and Dog.
It is on show at the airport in Yakutsk, the region's capital city and coldest city on the planet.
