Amazing 4-year-old girl braved the Siberian winter and threat of wild animals to hike 8km in snow to help her gravely ill grandmother

Saglana Salchak, 4, from the remote Republic of Tuva braved the Siberian winter and threat of wild animals to try to get help for her grandmother. Photo / YouTube

A 4 year-old girl braved the Siberian winter and threat of wild animals to walk 8km in a bid to save her gravely ill grandmother.

After she found her grandmother cold and motionless, Saglana Salchak, from the remote Republic of Tuva , was sent by her grandfather at 6am on February 8 to fetch medical help from the nearest settlement.

Undeterred by the early hour, threat of wolves and -33C frost, the girl followed a frozen river for three hours to raise the alarm.

It was in vain - medics pronounced her grandmother dead from a heart attack. Despite her ordeal, the young girl was only suffering from hypothermia.

The Republic of Tuva is also home to big cats. In 2016, the WWF reported that a snow leopard had been caught on camera.A resident said: "It's surprising that wolves didn't attack her. There's loads of them here and they regularly attack cattle."

The story has not escaped the attention of the local authorities.

The Republic of Tuva's Office of Investigations announced it is investigating the girl's 31-year-old mother, Eleanora, for putting elderly citizens and a minor in danger. The grandfather was blind and the grandmother infirm. They lived in Saldam-Beldir - a "hard to reach place" in the words of the investigators.

She could face a fine or even a custodial sentence.

It also said it is reviewing the actions of the relevant child welfare authorities.

Siberian children have shown before they are made of stern stuff.

Last year, a 3-year-old boy spent three days on his own in a forest in the same region.

Even more remarkably, in 2014, a 3-year-old girl survived for two weeks alone in the taiga. She ate berries and drank water from rivers.

• Email
• Print