The annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race took a wild, drastic turn this year for one musher and his dogs, who faced off with an angry moose who critically injured one of the dogs
Dallas Seavey, a five-time champion of the race, competed in the annual event with his team of sled dogs. The Iditarod is a 938-mile race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, which takes over a week for teams to complete.
On Monday, Seavey and his dog team ran into an unexpected and dangerous hurdle: a wild moose. Seavey described the moose as “angry,” and the animal left one of his dogs, Faloo, in critical condition.
For the safety of his dogs, Seavey made the “tough decision” to shoot the moose.
In accordance with race rules, he also had to gut the moose before continuing on his way, and alerted officials about the incident at the next stop.
“With help from snowmobile-aided support in the area, we are making sure that every attempt is made to utilize and salvage the moose meat,” Iditarod race Marshal Warren Palfrey said in a statement, per ABC News.
The injured dog Faloo was then flown to Anchorage and treated at the Anchorage Vet Clinic. In a Facebook post, Seavey’s team said the dog was alive but remains in critical condition.
“Faloo arrived in critical condition and soon after arriving she went into surgery,” the post reads. “We received an update yesterday evening that she is out of surgery and remains in critical condition. We promise to keep you all updated once we receive more updates.”
“We appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers.”
While the moose incident cost him some time, Seavey is currently in first position in the race standings.
What a scary run-in with a wild moose — we hope Faloo is doing okay and makes a full recovery soon 💔❤️
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