Natalia: “I often take the food down to the river, I go two or three times a week just walking in the forest on the edge of the swamp and I leave Leshunya a plastic bag with the food inside. I sit and wait for him and then he comes, he takes the contents of the bag, eats it closely, and then when the package is empty he leaves me. I used the same pack of sweets several times so now I know his tooth is sweet. He loves gingerbread, caramel, and chocolate. If I leave a taste his mate likes, he takes them to his mate Leshiha. In the summer I left him food directly on the gifting stone. I left the same gingerbread and candy without closing the tin to see if mice or small creatures were eating them and not my friend. At first I would hide them in nooks or put stones on top of them, the stones would be placed to the side with the packets underneath them. No bird, no mouse is doing this, no one touches the food other than Leshunya. And once we had to go to another place to give gifts. All the food that I left him at the same time was untouched, even cakes and a meat pie, which he loves. Someone apparently alerted him or warned him maybe this food was not safe to eat? I have noticed a huge black crow when I have brought food in the past and left some for the crow too. But he did not eat it. He took the bread and in his beak and flew towards Leshunya’s lair. I think they work together with the crow.

To see the Images: https://ukwildman.blogspot.com/2022/08/a-cognac-coloured-wild-man-courtesy.html

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy9XDjWyICQJvz4ddRa9qXw Alex Traver_Za

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqVU-jUlyFcFqLz1WcNOAqA Igor Burtsev

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDMJ9-jx5Z0F-knv7jAXb8g Andrey Stroganov. one of us in expeditions