During a series of military exercises, one soldier found himself in the midst of a real life or death situation while working in the forests of Estonia. He had no idea that his training that day would lead him into such a situation.

Erich Pyri Prikko is a member of the Estonian Defense Force and was stationed near Lake Võrtsjärv. He ventured into the woods to find a place to go to the bathroom and instead spotted something unusual.

He says he heard noises that reminded him of a cat or a small baby and saw an animal walking towards him. At first glimpse he thought it was a dog and then he realized it was a baby moose roaming alone in the forest.

Trying not to scare the baby, he sat down in hopes that the baby moose would go back to its mother. Instead, the baby came up and sat down beside him. Deciding that he could trust the soldier, the moose even rubbed up underneath his arm, possibly searching for mammary glands.

It was obvious that the baby needed help, but Erich knew he wasn’t the one to be able to offer the help the tiny moose needed. The calf did, however, seem comforted by being near Erich. In an effort to help the baby, Erich called his veterinarian and explained that he wanted to help the calf and asked what he should do.

They told him to return the calf to the location he found it and monitor the situation. The vet came to the scene with a bottle of milk to feed the calf just in case his mother didn’t return. Erich felt guilty leaving the baby in the forest alone, but the tactic worked.

When they returned to the forest they noticed large moose prints indicating that the mother had come and rescued her calf. Erich says he believes that part of his duty as a soldier is not to just protect humans, but animals as well. He feels he did his duty in this situation.

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