A family of meteorologists living near Lake Baikal found a young seal pup on the shore, barely able to move.
They brought it to their station, where their husky named Nika joined in to help.
As reported: fakta.today
The dog seemed to mistake the pup for a puppy and started licking and caring for it.
Sergey and Natalya Shaburov, the meteorologists, found the seal pup on one of the shores of Lake Baikal. The pup was found lying on the ground and barely moving.
The family decided to take it to their meteorological station called "Sunny" to provide some help to the pup.
Natalia said that the seal was in poor condition.
"The foundling was in a deep sleep and not responding to anything."
They tried pouring goat milk into its mouth, but it wouldn't swallow.
But unexpected help came from Nika, the husky. The puppy was placed near the baths, and Nika came and licked it for over an hour, likely mistaking the pup for a puppy.
Such care made a difference, and the patient dog woke up and opened its eyes!
Natalia and Sergey decided to build on the success and fed the pup chopped fish, which eventually helped it regain its senses.
Seals, however, eat in the water, so the foundling was placed in an ordinary bathtub filled with water for a proper meal. Nika never left its side.
According to the family, the name came naturally, and the pup was named Umka.
The seal spent the night in the bathtub and climbed out on its own in the morning, immediately receiving licks from Nika. Throughout the day, Umka was placed on the rocks for warmth and then sent back to the bathroom for feeding.
In the evening, the family attempted to take Umka back to Baikal and even swam half a kilometer, but it returned.
Both humans and the dog were delighted, with Nika back in her element, licking the seal pup.
They fed it again and let it stay overnight in the house.
When on the third day the seal was brought back to the shore, it swam away for good.
Umka initially didn't want to leave its newfound family.
"He didn't want to swim anywhere, even though he was free. I even had to push him a little to get him to swim because he liked it so much."
Umka swam, didn't dive too often, and soon disappeared from sight.
We believe it found its own kind.
It never returned to us.
Nika was sad, but she soon found a new charge - goats, whom she now takes care of.
And you can be sure she won't let anything harm them.
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