Half-day-old baby found in woods

She had to fight for survival in the wild just minutes after being born. The baby girl was abandoned by her mother in the harsh conditions of a Russian forest for 12 hours until she was found by a stranger.

The first days of a baby's life are critical for its survival.

But this newborn spent twelve hours abandoned in a forest in Russia's Far East with only a blanket to protect her.

She lay hidden in the bushes until she was discovered by Aleksei Vishnyakov, a Pereyaslavka village resident, who was picking mushrooms.

“I noticed a towel, soaked in blood. It moved a bit, and I felt like something was drawing me to it. I lifted the towel and became white with horror – I saw a child, all covered in blood and with an umbilical cord wrapped around it,” Vishnyakov recalls.

Vishnyakov was overjoyed to discover the baby was alive, and relieved that she hadn't been attacked by wild animals.

He ran to a nearby road to stop a passing car and took the baby to the hospital. After the doctors examined and fed the child, she was able to sleep safely.

The medical officials say that, miraculously, she has no medical problems.

“At the moment, the child's condition is satisfactory. The only thing she needs now is care and nursing. After medical checks, no diseases were found,” Vasily Kargin, chief doctor at the perinatal hospital, reports.

Local authorities have started a criminal investigation into the case.

They're checking medical records for all women in the area who have given birth over the last few days, to see if they can trace the baby's mother.

Residents in a nearby village don't believe the mother could be any of their neighbors, suspecting people from nearby cities.

The baby's short life has been traumatic so far, but those involved in her care wish her a more promising future, and have named her Nadezhda – which means “hope”.