A group of young Estonian construction workers rushed to rescue a “dog” that had fallen through the ice on the Pärnu River, but veterinarians later confirmed that the animal was, in fact, a young wolf.
The incident took place near the Sindi Dam, close to the Estonian town of the same name, according to the Estonian Animal Protection Association.
In a statement, the association said it received a call at 8 a.m. on Thursday from a young man named Robin Sillamäe, who reported that he and his colleagues had ‘rescued a dog’ from the Pärnu River.
The men had spotted a distressed animal out in the middle of the icy river and sprang into action. They managed to push aside chunks of ice and clear a route, allowing the animal – still strong enough – to swim roughly 100 metres to the bank.
Once ashore, it was rigid with exhaustion and cold, its body temperature dangerously low and its fur crusted with ice. The men fetched a towel from their nearby car, wrapped the dog-like creature in it, and took it to their vehicle to keep it warm.
The animal protection association quickly located a veterinary clinic in Pärnu – Estonia’s fourth-largest town, around 10 kilometres (six miles) from Sindi – and advised the men to take the animal there for a check-up.
Not a dog
Once in Pärnu, as the animal was being carried from the car into the clinic, the vets began to suspect that the “dog” was in fact a wolf. They sought advice from a local hunter, who confirmed their suspicion. In light of this, the animal protection association advised them to fit the wolf with a muzzle.
The vets later said the wolf was uninjured and recovering quickly from its desperate fight for survival. The animal was a young male, born in 2018, and, according to the vets, would almost certainly have drowned had the boys not rushed to its rescue.
According to the Estonian Environment Agency, the wolf was fitted with a GPS collar and released back into the wild on Thursday evening.
The national animal
In 2018, several organisations – including the Estonian Nature Society, the Estonian Museum of Natural History and Tallinn Zoo – chose the wolf as Estonia’s national animal. “The wolf is a natural part of our environment and leaves no one indifferent,” Marju Kõivupuu, an Estonian folklorist, told the public broadcaster ERR at the time. “The wolf is one of the most popular animals in our folktales; more than 500 names and stories about it have been recorded.”
Nature organisations described the wolf as “tough, exceptionally intelligent and possessing great stamina”. “The wolf is a survivor. It is brave in defending its family and territory from other wolves. Wolves respect their parents and are devoted to their family. They value privacy and prefer to be left alone. The wolf is also charismatic. All these qualities make it a fitting symbol of Estonia and Estonians as a national animal.”
There are currently around 200 wolves in Estonia, divided among 20 to 25 packs. They are distributed fairly evenly across the country, though they are found mainly in larger wilderness areas.
