A 20-year-old Russian beautician is currently fighting for life after a pack of wild dogs gnawed her face off in subfreezing eastern Siberia.
Tatyana Loskutnikova, a nail artist, was savagely attacked by 10 dogs as she walked through Ulan-Ude city, in far eastern Siberia, on the morning of December 23.
The animals ripped her clothes off in -22C (-7.6F) temperatures, bit her down to the bone, and chewed all the skin off her face before locals who heard her screams came to her rescue, East2West News reported.
The critically injured woman, who suffered severe blood loss, was carried to a nearby house before she was rushed to a hospital, where she was placed in a medically induced coma and on a ventilator, according to the outlet.
Her family said her face has been “damaged beyond recognition.”
“The victim is in intensive care after anti-shock therapy,” said Dr. Igor Shpak, head physician at the Republican Clinical Hospital.
“Surgeons, neurosurgeons, traumatologists, otolaryngologists and maxillofacial surgeons are all fighting for her life,” he added. “The patient was delivered to us in an extremely serious condition suffering hemorrhagic and painful shock.”
Only her eyes remained on her disfigured face, according to the hospital.
Loskutnikova had “multiple lacerated and bitten wounds on the face, body, and limbs,” Shpak said. “The percentage of damage is extremely high. Her blood pressure is extremely low.”
Local resident Alexandra Andreevna, who helped save the woman, said she heard screaming and barking.
“I got dressed, went out to the crossroad to see. There was a backpack lying on the ground,” she said. “Then I saw a baying pack of dogs and a person lying on the ground. There were about 10 dogs, maybe more.”
Andreevna said the woman was no longer screaming at one point.
“She was conscious, but, apparently she could no longer scream because of pain,” she said, adding that she used a stick to beat away the crazed dogs and bang on a fence to alert others.
A statement from her brother Vladislav posted: ‘On December 23, on the way to the clinic, my sister Tatyana was attacked by a pack of dogs.
‘As a result, she was taken in an EXTREMELY SEVERE CONDITION to the intensive care unit…
‘The bites were deep, to the bone, the soft tissues of her face damaged beyond recognition.
‘Tanya. (Tatyana) is a young and promising girl, she is only 20 years old.’
A police officer shot one of the violent dogs dead soon after the animal attacked him. The others were killed later.
A preliminary criminal investigation has been opened
By Jide N.