Erikas Plucas returned home one day to find something unexpected right outside his fence. Sitting on the ground was a small baby moose that didn't look over 2 weeks old at the time.
Erikas grew concerned about the baby moose once he realized how frightened she was and how skinny she looked.
The Lithuanian man told The Dodo, "The first sight of her was heartbreaking," and added, "She was starved, dirty, sad, her fur was infested with flies, and she was so terrified of me when she first saw me but was too weak to run away, to even get up."
Despite people urging him to leave her alone to fend for herself, with local hunters creeping around, Erikas did what he thought was best. He kept her.
He decided to name the baby moose Emma and began nursing her back to health. He bottle fed her, gave her the greenest leaves, and removed flies from her thick, matted brown coat.
After he rescued her, little Emma returned to visit him every day. With Erikas' help, Emma grew into a large, healthy adult moose, but their daily meetings didn't stop there. Emma continued even after she was introduced back into the wild.
Although he hasn't seen his moose best friend in two months, he followed her trail and believes she found another moose in the woods. Thanks to Erikas, Emma is now able to live freely, just like every other moose out there.
To see what Emma looks like now, check out the video below, posted on February 13, 2017.
Finally, please SHARE Erikas and Emma's story of unexpected friendship if you hope she comes back to visit him again soon!
