Iditarod officials impose two-hour time penalty on musher for failing to properly gut a moose after it critically injured one of his dogs during the race

The Iditarod, a 52-year-old annual dog sled race from Anchorage to Nome, has been embroiled in controversy after one of the mushers was forced to kill an elk only to break the rules by neglecting to properly gut the animal.

Iditarod officials on Wednesday imposed a two-hour time penalty on musher Dallas Seavey for not properly gutting the elk he killed during the race earlier this week.

Race Marshal Warren Palfrey convened a three-person panel of race officials to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of the elk, which became entangled with Seavey and his dog team early Monday, about 12 hours after the days-long race officially began. One dog was injured during the encounter and was flown back to Anchorage for care.

Rule 34 of the Iditarod Handbook states: ‘In the event that an edible big game animal, i.e. elk, caribou or buffalo, is killed in defense of life or property, the musher shall gut the animal and report the incident to a race official at the next checkpoint.”

Seavey, a five-time Iditarod champion, encountered the moose shortly after leaving the checkpoint in Skwentna. He used a gun to shoot and kill him about 14 miles outside the village at 1:32 a.m. on Monday.

According to the panel’s findings, Seavey spent about 10 minutes at the murder scene, then crushed his dog team for about 11 miles before camping during a three-hour layover.

The team then left for the next checkpoint at 5:55 a.m., arriving at Finger Lake at 8:00 a.m., where Seavey reported the murder.

“He fell on my sled; it was scattered all over the course,” Seavey told an Iditarod Insider television crew at the Finger Lake checkpoint, where he urged race officials to get the elk off the trail.

“I stripped it as best I could, but it was ugly,” he said.

A statement from the Iditarod said that “it was determined that the animal had not been sufficiently gutted by the musher.” By definition, gutting involves removing the intestines and other internal organs, officials said.

The Iditarod can impose time penalties if a majority of the three-person panel agrees that a rule has been broken and a competitive advantage has been gained. Penalties can be up to eight hours per violation.

Time penalties can be added to mandatory stops that each musher must make during the race or to a musher’s final time after reaching Nome.

Officials said the two-hour penalty will be added to Seavey’s mandatory 24-hour layover.

The elk was retrieved and the meat was recovered and processed. Iditarod workers in Skwentna were busy distributing the food.

Seavey led Wednesday’s Iditarod, the first musher to leave the checkpoint in the mining ghost town of Ophir, about 353 miles into the race after staying just 15 minutes. Musher Jessie Holmes arrived first at Ophir, almost two hours earlier than Seavey, but appeared to be resting. Four other mushers were also in Ophir.

Seavey watches during the official restart of the 52nd Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Willow

Unfortunately, the injured dog remains in critical condition, according to Seavey.

“As a result of an angry moose on the trail, Faloo was flown to Anchorage and taken to the Anchorage Veterinary Clinic,” Seavey wrote on Facebook, identifying the dog by name.

“We received an update (Monday) evening that she is out of surgery and remains in critical condition,” Seavey said. “We promise to keep you all informed as we receive more updates. We appreciate all the thoughts and prayers.”

The ceremonial start took place in Anchorage on Saturday, while the competitive start started on Sunday.

This year’s race features 38 mushers, who will travel approximately 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) across two mountain ranges, the frozen Yukon River and along the ice-covered Bering Sea. About ten days after the start, they come off the ice to Main Street in the old Gold Rush town of Nome for the final push to the finish.