A Russian married couple visiting Olkhon Island at Lake Baikal hid on a cliff after mistaking a yak for a bear, emergency services reported.
The tourists, who had traveled from the Altai region, panicked during the August 25 incident and called inspectors from the Zapovednoye Pribaikalye nature reserve agency, news outlet IrCity.ru reported. Fearing an attack, the couple were ready to jump off the cliff into Lake Baikal.
Inspectors responded to the emergency call despite being surprised by the reported sighting. Experts at the agency noted that bears do not inhabit Olkhon Island. Situated in southern Siberia, Lake Baikal is the world's deepest freshwater lake, and Olkhon is its largest island, characterized by rocky cliffs and protected habitats.
Rescue using makeshift jacket ropes
When specialists arrived at the location, they discovered that the creature terrifying the tourists was actually a yak. Yaks are large, heavy-coated herbivores commonly raised in mountainous parts of Asia, including Siberia, and pose no predatory threat to humans, unlike bears.
The stranded couple initially refused to descend from the cliff face to join the experts. Specialists spent time talking to the holidaymakers and eventually succeeded in persuading them that their fear was groundless and that there was no danger.
Despite realizing they were safe, the tourists did not dare to climb back up the rocks on their own. Inspectors then improvised a rescue line by tying together several jackets and sweaters, using the makeshift garment rope to pull the couple to safety.
Bear activity in the Altai region
The couple had come to Lake Baikal from Altai, a mountainous territory in southern Siberia bordering Kazakhstan, China, and Mongolia. In a previous incident in Altai reported by local media, bears broke into a hunter's cabin, ransacked the building inside and out, and stole all the food.
