Dallas Seavey penalized for Rule 34 infraction regarding dispatch of moose

Two days after Iditarod champion Dallas Seavey had an encounter on the trail with a moose that injured one of his sled dogs, and resulting in the moose being put down by Seavey, Iditarod Race Marshal Warren Palfrey and a three-person panel comprised of race officials have penalized the veteran musher with a 2-hour time penalty during a 24-hour layover.

The panel, convened by Palfrey met on March 6 to discuss Seavey’s encounter with a moose early Monday morning enroute from Skwentna to Finger Lake. According to the press release from the ITC, after further investigation, the details to the event are as follows: a moose was dispatched approximately 14 miles from Skwentna on the trail towards Finger Lake at 01:32 a.m. on Monday, March 5, 2024. Approximately 10 minutes was spent at the site of the encounter, to which then the musher and team proceeded approximately 11 miles until 02:55 a.m. where they camped for three hours, departing approximately 05:55 a.m. Seavey and the team then proceeded to Finger Lake checkpoint arriving at 08:00 a.m. The moose was later retrieved, processed and salvaged and is being distributed by Iditarod support based in Skwentna.

“It has been determined by the panel unanimously that a 2 hour time penalty will be assessed at the musher 24 hour layover,” the release states.

The panel found that Seavey, who has raced in the Iditarod 14 times and winning five of those races, violated Rule 34, Killing of Game Animals, which 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. Following teams must help gut the animal when possible. No teams may pass until the animal has been gutted and the musher killing the animal has proceeded. Any other animal killed in defense of life or property must be reported to a race official, but need not be gutted.”

The release states that the panel determined that the animal was not sufficiently gutted by Seavey. By definition, gutting: taking out the intestines and other internal organs of (a fish or other animal) before cooking it.

According to ITC Rule 51, time penalties will be imposed when determined by race officials a rule infraction has occurred and a competitive advantage has been gained. Time penalties require a majority decision of a three-member panel of race officials appointed by the Race Marshal.

Time penalties may be imposed up to a maximum of eight (8) hours per infraction and will be added to either the twenty- four (24) hour layover, the eight-hour layover on the Yukon River, the eight (8) hour layover at White Mountain, or after the musher finishes in Nome.

Meanwhile, Seavey’s team posted to social media that Faloo, the dog injured during the encounter, has been released and would be going home on Wednesday.

“Faloo has received excellent care from the Iditarod vet team and the team of vets at PET ER. We will keep you updated on Faloo, she will be in the care of our awesome team at the kennel.”