Nomination "Our Brothers": A Caucasian Shepherd puppy named Arbuzik helped a rescued baby bear named Dynka survive by becoming her loyal friend and reliable protector.
The heartbreaking story of a tiny orphaned bear cub from North Ossetia—who was tamed and then betrayed by cruel people who threw her out into the freezing cold in a deserted place—shocked the entire world in the spring of 2026. In early April, a passing local resident accidentally heard piercing cries, remarkably similar to those of a human child, on the outskirts of a village. Upon searching, he discovered a tiny, nursing bear cub wedged into a gap in the woodshed of an abandoned property, shaking from fear and cold. The baby girl was found completely alone in a very remote part of the village, as reported by "KP. North Caucasus.”
The clumsy cub spent several days in the freezing cold, weeping and calling for her mother. But her mother never came. Most likely, she had been killed by poachers. As for the people who abandoned the tamed bear cub, they had surely already forgotten about her existence.
"She was waiting for help. Waiting right where they left her. But they didn't come back for her. First, they orphaned her by killing her mother, and then they did it again—after getting their fill of playing with her and throwing her out. Apparently, they figured they’d had their fun, and from there 'mother nature would help her survive in the forest.' But it doesn't work that way. Throwing out a hand-raised baby is the exact same as signing an immediate death warrant," volunteers from the Moscow Region's "Zemlya Prayda" (Land of Pride) park shared.
Upon seeing the miserable little thing, the man who discovered her went to find a spot with a mobile signal to call animal rights activists. The cub, no bigger than a slipper, panicked that she was being abandoned again and ran after him. However, she lost sight of the man and fell off a cliff into a mountain river. Weakened by hunger and cold, the poor creature couldn't climb out of the icy torrent on her own, but she fought for her life with all her remaining strength while they were looking for her back at the original spot.
The volunteers pulled the little one out of the water at the very last moment. The bear cub had already swallowed a lot of water and was severely hypothermic. Her life was a matter of minutes.To save the baby bear, animal rights activists from North Ossetia and the Moscow Region's "Zemlya Prayda" park got on the phone and decided to immediately drive toward each other. While one group of volunteers rushed from the distant Moscow Region, the others kept the bear warm and fed her along the way.
"Right now, she is with our friends—the volunteers who are driving to meet us halfway so we don't lose precious time, because for this little one, every hour could be her last. Our journey is 1,000 km. Their journey toward us is 1,000 km. And then the same distance back for us with the baby bear. In total, that’s over 4,000 kilometers, hundreds of worries and tears, all just to make it in time to help someone who was so unfairly betrayed by humans," the "Zemlya Prayda" shelter for rescued wild animals reported as the situation unfolded.
The animal rights activists promised to do everything they could to give the rescued little one a chance at life and to help her forget all the horror she had been through."The most important thing is that she holds on until help arrives and doesn't get tired of fighting for her life herself," they explained in a video clip.
The exhausted orphan was driven for over a day to the center in the Moscow Region. The little one was named Dynka.She was immediately examined at a veterinary clinic, where vets discovered worms, ticks, and an inflammatory process. The prognosis was grim, even though the bear cub, now in kind and caring hands, began to interact, play, and suck milk from a bottle with a good appetite. At any moment, her condition could have sharply worsened.
"We hope that she has no problems other than those described above. Although she looks like a cute and fluffy little bun, friends, you cannot even imagine how emaciated she is. She is just a furry skeleton that is still moving for now. Judging by her condition, she had been looking for help not for two days, but for much longer," Viktor Agafonov, the director of the "Zemlya Prayda" park, shared with followers after the examination.
Fortunately, Dynka tried very hard to live and fought on. The sick animal was put on IV drips, which helped her weakened body not to give up. She also received medication therapy, anti-parasitic drugs, and painkillers.
At the Animal Rescue Center, Dynka was assigned her own personal nanny—a caring staff member who stayed with her 24/7, as the little one was terrified of being left alone and would cry loudly without a human around. However, the real miracle was worked by a Caucasian Shepherd puppy named Arbuz (Watermelon), a future security dog for the "Zemlya Prayda" park. In size, coat color, and fluffiness, the friendly pup looked remarkably like a bear cub itself. During their first meeting, Dynka looked cautiously at her future companion; she even initially turned to a toy bear for comfort, climbed onto her nanny's head, and hid behind her back. But the bonding process went quickly, and the two babies became fast friends. From that moment on, Dynka stopped crying.
Thanks to her new friend, as well as the mercy, love, and care of compassionate people, the little one’s emotional and physical state improved. Arbuzik became her reliable friend and protector. In any confusing situation, she hides behind him, keeping an eye on everything happening in the enclosure from behind his back.
The sweet puppy allows his beloved friend to do whatever she wants, including digging into his bowl and eating his food.
"Dynka found the support, protection, and peace in Arbuzik that she so desperately lacked. Arbuzik understood that Dynka is an orphaned soul in need of help, and he even allows her things he never allowed anyone else—to approach his bowl and even take his food, even though he previously never let anyone near his meals," Viktor Agafonov noted.
After some time, Dynka became completely unrecognizable. The charming, restless cub actively plays and enjoys life together with her loyal friend, Arbuzik. The furry partners are inseparable; whether out on a walk or inside their enclosure, they are always right by each other's side.
Having forgotten the nightmare she survived in the spring, Dynka now happily swims in the deep waters of every pond and river they come across, all under the watchful eye of Arbuzik.
The amazing friendship between two completely different animal species has touched the hearts of not only Russians but also people from other countries. Dynka and Arbuzik now have a great many friends all over the world.
"In Viktor Agafonov’s opinion, the friendship therapy has truly paid off. 'Watching these two little ones be an entire universe for each other is a miracle, of course!' says the rescuer of wild beasts and other animals that have been abandoned or left without help.”
Photos and freeze-frames from the archives of the "Zemlya Prayda" wild animal park.