Estonian troops turn moose-sitters By News from Elsewhere...

...as found by BBC Monitoring Published duration 14 May 2018

image copyright Estonia Defence Ministry image caption Are you my mummy? The young elk (or moose) greets a soldier

Soldiers taking part in Estonia's largest-ever military exercise found themselves in charge of a lost baby moose while out on manoeuvres, it's been reported.

With its mother nowhere to be seen, soldiers asked environmental experts what to do, and were advised that the animal's mother would probably come searching for it once night fell.

The same experts also dispelled the myth that the calf would be abandoned by its parents if it had been in contact with humans, Estonian World said.

image copyright Estonia Defence Ministry image caption The Siil (Hedgehog) exercises involved thousands of Estonian and allied troops

Hedgehog shows Estonia is defended

As well as the Estonian troops and reservists, some 2,000 troops from NATO countries, including the United Kingdom, and other allies also took part.

Defence minister Juri Luik said the "Hedgehog" exercises were intended to show that Estonia, on NATO's eastern frontier with Russia, is well defended. "Our task is to show our opponents that attacking us would be so risky that the costs of such a step would outweigh any potential gain," he said.

But things haven't gone entirely to plan, after some 1,700 reservists failed to turn up for duty . Those without a reasonable excuse for their absence will now face misdemeanour charges.

The hedgehog, its natural defences providing an apt name for army manoeuvres, narrowly lost out in last month's decision to become Estonia's national animal. That honour, instead, fell to the wolf

image copyright Wikimedia/Gibe image caption The hedgehog was the popular choice for Estonia's national animal, but experts went for the wolf instead

Reporting by Alistair Coleman

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