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 a moose only to violate rules by neglecting to gut the animal properly.

Iditarod officials on Wednesday imposed a two-hour time penalty on musher Dallas Seavey for not properly gutting the moose 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 moose, which became tangled up with Seavey and his dog team early Monday, about 12 hours after the dayslong race officially started. One dog was injured in the encounter and flown back to Anchorage for care.

Rule 34 of the Iditarod handbook states: 'In the event that an edible big game animal, i.e., moose, caribou, buffalo, 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, a five-time Iditarod champion, encountered the moose shortly after leaving the checkpoint in Skwentna. He used a handgun to shoot and kill it about 14 miles (22 kilometers) outside the village at 1:32 a.m. Monday.

Dallas Seavey takes part in the official restart of the 52nd Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Willow

According to the panel's findings, Seavey spent about 10 minutes at the kill site, and then mushed his dog team about 11 miles (18 kilometers) before camping on a three-hour layover.

The team then departed at 5:55am for the next checkpoint, arriving in Finger Lake at 8am where Seavey reported the kill.

'It fell on my sled; it was sprawled on the trail,' Seavey told an Iditarod Insider television crew at the Finger Lake checkpoint, where he urged race officials to get the moose off the trail.

'I gutted it the best I could, but it was ugly,' he said.

A statement from the Iditarod said it had 'been determined that the animal was not sufficiently gutted by the musher.' By definition, gutting includes taking out the intestines and other internal organs, officials said.

The Iditarod can impose time penalties if a majority of the three-person panel agrees a rule was broken and that a competitive advantage was gained. Penalties can range up to a maximum of eight hours per infraction.

Time penalties can be added to mandatory layovers each musher must take during the race or to a musher's final time after they reach Nome.

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

The moose was retrieved and its meat salvaged and processed. Iditarod associates in Skwentna were distributing the food.

Seavey was leading the Iditarod on Wednesday, the first musher to leave the checkpoint in the mining ghost town of Ophir, about 350 miles (563 kilometers) into the race after only staying for 15 minutes. Musher Jessie Holmes arrived in Ophir first, nearly two hours ahead of Seavey, but appeared to be resting. Four other mushers were also in Ophir.

Seavey looks on 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 was taken to the Anchorage Vet Clinic,' Seavey wrote on Facebook, identifying the dog by its 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 updated once we receive more updates. We appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers.'

The ceremonial start was held Saturday in Anchorage, with the competitive start beginning Sunday.

This year's race has 38 mushers, who will travel about 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) across two mountain ranges, the frozen Yukon River and along the ice-covered Bering Sea. About 10 days after the start, they will come off the ice and onto Main Street in the old Gold Rush town of Nome for the last push to the finish line.