Erich Prikko of the Estonian defense force was out on drills when he was pressed into a different kind of service, babysitting. Prikko wandered off to relieve himself when he realized he wasn't alone...
"I heard some funny voices that reminded me a cat or a small baby," Prikko told The Dodo. "I noticed some kind of a cute animal walking towards me. At first he reminded me a dog, but pretty quickly I realized it was a small baby moose trying to tell me something."
Not wanting to startling the baby moose, Prikko sat down, hoping the little guy would find his way back to his mother. But lacking for parental figures, the moose had other ideas.
"He slowly walked towards me," Prikko said. "He was quite shy at first, but he finally decided that I seemed to be trustworthy and came very close to me."
The baby and Prikko quickly bonded, but it was obvious the little moose was hungry...
"I called our veterinary office and let them know what happened," Prikko said. "I wanted to do more for the small calf and wanted to ask what should I do."
Prikko returned his new friend to the original spot that he was found and monitored the baby from afar. The Estonian Army vet even sent a bottle of milk to feed the calf in case his mother didn't come back for him. Prikko and his unit did they best to avoid the area - which could potentially spook mommy moose.
As difficult as it was to leave the baby moose there alone it proved to be the correct move... Prikko was awakened by a moose call in the middle of the night and realized the calf was gone.
"We noticed very fresh big moose footprints that indicated that the small calf had been rescued by his mother," Prikko said. "I wanted the calf's mother to find him and I was very satisfied when we found out that they really found each other."
All photos by Alver Tedre