Boy Survives 3 Days Alone in Siberian Wilderness
The boy was rescued in an area prowled by wolves and bears
— -- A 3-year-old boy has been rescued after surviving three days alone in the wilderness in a remote part of Siberia, authorities said.
The boy, Tserin Dopchut, disappeared on Sunday after wandering away from his house while playing with dogs in the small village of Khut in the Pyi-Khemskiy district in Russia's Tuva republic, the republic’s president wrote in a statement announcing the rescue.
The little boy survived the next 72 hours without a coat and just a bar of chocolate. Temperatures sometimes dip close to zero in the sparsely populated area, prowled by wild animals including wolves and bears.
Local elite police units, as well as rescue dogs, were dispatched to help in the search effort. The boy was eventually found by police nearly 2 miles from his house, lying in a field, the TASS state news agency reported.
“He called out when he heard his uncle calling,” Tuva’s president, Sholdan Kara-ool wrote in the statement, posted on his official social media account. Kara-Ool said the boy had found a dry spot under a tree to sleep, which helped him to keep warm.
“Everyone is calling him 'Mowgli.' Even the adults are surprised by his endurance and his survival,” Kara-Ool wrote.
The boy was flown to a hospital in Tuva’s capital for medical checks. President Kara-Ool said the child had not suffered any serious health issues as a result of the ordeal and was now out of shock.