Iditarod Musher Kills, Guts Moose Who Injured Sled Dog During Race

Despite the encounter, Dallas Seavey is leading the famed Alaskan race as of Tuesday morning.

Five-time Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey was forced to shoot a moose after it injured one of his dogs shortly after the start of the famed annual long-distance sled dog race in Alaska, according to the Associated Press. 

Seavey, who said he shot the moose with a handgun in self-defense, gutted the moose in accordance with Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race rules, which state, “In the event that an edible big-game animal is killed in defense of life or property, the musher must gut the animal and report the incident to a race official at the next checkpoint.” 

Seavey and his dogs became “entangled“ with the moose around 2 a.m. Monday about 50 miles from their next checkpoint, according to Iditarod officials. Upon arriving to the checkpoint, Seavey dropped off the injured dog, which was flown to Anchorage for an evaluation with a veterinarian. 

Iditarod musher Dallas Seavey killed a moose Monday during this year’s competition of the famed long-distance sled dog race in Alaska :: Marc Lester/IMAGO

Interestingly enough, a post on Seavey’s Facebook page states that fellow Iditarod musher Jessie Holmes had an encounter with a moose—it’s not clear if it was the same animal—claiming that he punched the animal “in the nose.” A third musher, Paige Drobny, told race officials that her sled team went “up and over” the carcass of the moose, which she confirmed was in the center of the trail. 

Race marshal Warren Palfrey said race officials will continue to gather information on the encounter.

As of Tuesday morning, Seavey and his team are leading the race, five minutes ahead of Travis Beals and 10 minutes ahead of Holmes.