The death of a group of Ural tourists in the mountains of the Northern Urals has haunted amateur investigators for many years. In the process of studying the circumstances of this tragedy, many different versions of what happened were put forward: a rocket fall, an avalanche, everyday conflict, violent death and even the manifestation of anomalous natural phenomena. And even if none of the proposed versions can be considered objective one hundred percent, it still so happened that answers to questions about the reasons for the death of tourists are sought among the well-established theories. In this material, I will present another version, which, it seems to me, is not devoid of logic, and in some moments it may seem the most accurate at all, since it explains some of the actions of tourists in the last minutes of their lives. The original source of this version was a user of the forum 1723.ru, a certain Igor B.,the first to raise this topic for discussion.
As the name implies, the essence of this version lies in the fact that the reason for the tragic events at the pass could be an attack on a tent with tourists from a wild and ferocious beast - a wolverine. Well, as an attack, rather a manifestation of curiosity, which eventually ended in the deaths of nine people. But first things first.
It looks harmless enough and even to some extent funny in its clumsiness, the beast is the embodiment of real horror and terror for the entire animal kingdom, within its range. Since ancient times, the northern peoples treated the wolverine with awe. For example, the Canadian Indians considered the predator to be cunning and strong, but the Sami believed that the wolverine was the personification of an evil spirit. If some of you hear about a wolverine for the first time, then here is a brief description of this species.
Wolverine (lat. Gulo gulo) is a large representative of the marten subfamily. Adult weight ranges from 11 to 30 kg. The body length is about 100 - 120 centimeters. Outwardly, the wolverine resembles a small bear or badger. The soles of the feet are disproportionately large and reach 10 cm in width and 9 cm in length. It is no wonder that on such "snowshoes" the wolverine can easily move in the snow. The animal loves to wander through its possessions, numbering up to 620 km in a square, so that it can easily cover a distance of several tens of kilometers in a day. Wolverines are very fond of eating, for which they got their name in Latin: in translation Gulo - glutton. They are distinguished by their ferocious and cruel disposition. And it is also the only animal that does not run away from danger, but attacks first, one might saythat for the sake of sports interest - whether it will be possible to get out of the fight as a winner. There are cases when a wolverine easily dealt with a bear or a moose. In addition to sharp claws, teeth and powerful jaws, they have a "secret weapon". Wolverines, like a skunk, may spray extremely foul-smelling liquid. Basically, they use it as markers when defining their own territory, but sometimes, according to the observations of biologists, they generate a portion of "chemical weapons" even when frightened. The unrealistic "vigor" of the discharge of the weasel family (wolverines, skunks) is evidenced by the fact that scientists have described cases when, after several breaths of such secretions, people developed severe nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and even loss of consciousness.teeth and powerful jaws have a "secret weapon". Wolverines, like a skunk, may spray extremely foul-smelling liquid. Basically, they use it as markers when defining their own territory, but sometimes, according to the observations of biologists, they generate a portion of "chemical weapons" even when frightened. The unrealistic "vigor" of the discharge of the weasel family (wolverines, skunks) is evidenced by the fact that scientists have described cases when, after several breaths of such secretions, people developed severe nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and even loss of consciousness.teeth and powerful jaws have a "secret weapon". Wolverines, like a skunk, may spray extremely foul-smelling liquid. Basically, they use it as markers when defining their own territory, but sometimes, according to the observations of biologists, they generate a portion of "chemical weapons" even when frightened. The unrealistic "vigor" of the discharge of the weasel family (wolverines, skunks) is evidenced by the fact that scientists have described cases when, after several breaths of such secretions, people developed severe nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and even loss of consciousness.generate a portion of "chemical weapons" and when frightened. The unrealistic "vigor" of the discharge of the weasel family (wolverines, skunks) is evidenced by the fact that scientists have described cases when, after several breaths of such secretions, people developed severe nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and even loss of consciousness.generate a portion of "chemical weapons" and when frightened. The unrealistic "vigor" of the discharge of the weasel family (wolverines, skunks) is evidenced by the fact that scientists have described cases when, after several breaths of such secretions, people developed severe nausea, dizziness, vomiting, and even loss of consciousness.
Dyatlov's group at a halt.
How could a wolverine become the cause of the death of the Ural tourists? The answer lies in the sequence of events that were established for certain from the materials of the criminal case, as well as those recovered according to the testimony of the rescuers and search engines.
Promotional video:
Making their way through the snow-covered expanses of the Northern Urals, Dyatlov's group could well have ended up on the territory of one of the wolverines that inhabited local territories in abundance. The curious animal, sensing an unusual scent, followed the group - a fairly typical behavior for a wolverine. By the way, travelers whose routes ran through the possessions of this cunning beast repeatedly wrote about such persecutions. The wolverine does not see a direct threat in a person, but for some unknown reason, it does not actively hunt for representatives of Homo sapiens.
The last picture of the Dyatlov group. Setting up the tent.
Most likely, events unfolded as follows. Hidden before the attack, the wolverine took refuge somewhere far from the tent, so that the tourists simply did not see it. Having put up a tent and laid out bedding, the Dyatlovites decided to cook dinner. At this moment, the wolverine could already wander in the immediate vicinity around the tent, assessing the unusual object for the degree of possible threat and the likelihood of getting hold of a potential dinner. The materials of the criminal case reflect that on their last evening, the tourists decided to have dinner with meat.
From the readings of the search engine. As you can understand, there were traces of wolverines in the vicinity of the ill-fated pass.
The smell of food attracted the attention of the hungry beast. Unable to cope with the feeling of hunger, the wolverine tried to climb inside through the main entrance. Caught by surprise by the sudden appearance of an insolent predator, the tourists began to defend themselves. The first blow to the insolent muzzle came with something that came to hand - a camera. Wolverine snaps and clings to the trunk, leaving deep seizures in it.
From the descriptions of personal items. Materials of the criminal case.
The beast realizes that he is right next to people, tries to leave the unfriendly environment, but eventually gets entangled in the spacious slope of the tarpaulin. Once trapped, the wolverine resorts to "Plan B" and sprays his "chemical weapons" inside the room. In a matter of minutes, the tent is filled with an unbearable stench. Inside the camping dwelling chaos reigns, the tent falls down, the tourists in panic try to get out, but at the entrance a frightened animal snarls and growls, so there is only one option - to cut the slope of the tent.
Dyatlov group tent.
Then everything happens according to a well-known scenario: once on the street, the whole group instinctively tries to move away from the source of danger. Someone throws off their outerwear, apparently in an attempt to get rid of the unbearable stench. Having gathered in a group, tourists decide to move away from the tent and warm up by the fire. They walk slowly, as they are afraid of slipping in pitch darkness. And here's an important point: at the time of the emergency, the temperature outside was about - 10, but with the onset of night the temperature drops to - 28 degrees! Data on the onset of the Arctic cyclone on the night of the tragedy were also included in the criminal case.
Weather records. The tragedy occurred on the night of February 1–2, pay attention to the sharp cold snap.
Apparently, the tourists decided to ventilate outside while sitting by the fire, since the temperature at the time of the emergency was more or less acceptable. None of the guys ran out into the thirty-degree frost with the knowledge of painful death. It should be understood that for -10 degrees, all the tourists were dressed quite appropriately, as they were preparing for the night in low temperatures.
Each one was wearing socks, warm pants, jackets, sweaters, jackets and hats. So, if a sharp cold snap had not happened that night, then the tragic denouement of this story, quite possibly, might not have happened.
From the materials of the criminal case.
Alas, the fire was not able to save the tourists from death. It can be assumed that death from hypothermia occurred at the peak moments of temperature decrease. Apparently, tourists died one by one. As for the injuries, in general, their origin was explained by a medical examination - often all of them were worn as a result of prolonged compression under the influence of the pressure of the snow mass. It is possible that the Dyatlovites tried to organize a shelter from the snow (a fairly common way to avoid hypothermia in winter, finding themselves outside a suitable shelter), but the structure could collapse and injure tourists. Abrasions and cracks in bones could have been the result of accidental falls and blows against blunt objects (the events took place on a mountain slope). As for the culprit of the incident, then, most likely, having freed himself from the canvas trap,the wolverine hastened to escape from the scene of the emergency. In such a situation, there could be no question of any meal, despite the gluttony of this beast - your own skin is more important.
Search engines at the scene of the tragedy. Later, search engines will find both the tent and the bodies of all nine tourists. The inspection protocols will include a certain yellow substance found on the clothes of some of the participants in the campaign, moreover, the same plaque was found both on the things worn on the deceased and on those remaining inside the tent.
From the testimony of Kolevatov's sister.
Let me remind you that the color of the secret secreted by the wolverine is also yellow. However, the origin of this substance has not been established! However, none of the investigating group conducted this study at all. Also, the behavior of the service dogs, with the help of which the search work was carried out, could also indicate possible traces of the use of an odorous secret by the wolverine.
In an interview with the pilot of one of the helicopters who delivered dog handlers with service dogs to the pass, there is one extremely curious recollection.
- Well, when we flew, then the investigator flew with us at once, I don't know, the prosecutor or … the investigator was definitely and two healthy dogs. Big dogs are like healthy lions. It's scary to look at them. Well, in general, they are characterized by the fact that we got out of the helicopter, they didn't get out. And you can't stretch it by the tail. They rested and do not climb out. - says the pilot. - Well, the dog handler barely pulled the dog out. One, then the second. They tucked their tails, their ears pressed back. Everything, nowhere. He says: “Something smells bad here. Dogs are afraid, I'm afraid too. Everyone will be scared. Dogs do not leave him anywhere. He is where he is going, they followed him, clung directly to him.
Search engines at the scene of the tragedy.
Agree that such behavior is rather strange for police shepherds, considering that these dogs are prepared for stressful situations. Most likely, the sharp scent of the hounds smelled the traces of a formidable predator fixed on things and scattered around the surroundings, which caused instinctive fear in them.
Could a wild wolverine become so insolent that it climbed into a tent full of people - yes, it could! An employee of the West Altai Nature Reserve captured a wild wolverine with a mobile phone camera, entering the hunting lodge while the huntsman was reading a book. What prompted the wolverine to approach a person's dwelling is not clear, but one thing is certain - she is not afraid of people.
Summing up, I would like to invite you, dear readers, to leave in the comments your opinion on the possible cause of the tragedy, as well as your own vision of the reasons for the death of tourists.
Author: LYUBUSHKIN Andrey