Wolf rescued from freezing river after it was mistaken for dog

The wolf in a clinic Credit: EUPA

Rescuers in Estonia trying to save a dog from a freezing river were given quite a surprise when the canine turned out to be a wild wolf.

Robin Sillamae and Rando Kartsepp had been working on the nearby Sindi dam when they saw the young male in distress in the Parnu river.

The wolf was covered in ice. Credit: EUPA

They pulled the wolf from the icy water and into their car to warm up, before calling the Estonian Union for the Protection of Animals (EUPA) who told them to take it to a local clinic.

Trying to get warm in a vehicle. Credit: EUPA

“We had to carry him over the slope. He weighed a fair bit,” Mr Kartsepp told Estonian outlet Postimees.

“He was calm, slept on my legs. When I wanted to stretch them, he raised his head for a moment.”

Resting. Credit: EUPA

The EUPA said the wolf had hypotension due to the cold and so needed swift treatment, but the cold also meant the wild animal was docile while in its rescuers’ car.

The wolf looking far happier. Credit: EUPA

“Luckily everything turned out well as the wolf was nurtured in the clinic and after specialists of the Environmental Agency put the GPS on the wolf, the wolf was released to the wild,” the EUPA said.

“We are so happy for the outcome of the story and wish to thank all the participants, especially these two men who rescued the wolf and the doctors of the clinic who were not afraid to treat and nurture the wild animal.”