A team of sled dogs and their mushers were brutally attacked by a massive bull moose over the span of more than an hour last Thursday during a 52-mile run in the Alaskan wilderness.
"As he charged me I emptied my gun into him and he never stopped. I ran for my life and prayed I was fast enough to not be killed in that moment. He trampled the team and then turned for us and charged us humans who sought refuge beside our machine," musher Bridgett Watkins said in a Facebook post.
Watkins cut six dogs that were connected to the machine loose to give them a chance to escape.
"But unfortunately he went back to my team attached to my sled and trampled them over and over; repeatedly, for nearly an hour it continued. I have never felt so helpless in my life. He would not leave us alone and he even stood over top of the team refusing to retreat," Watkins said.
Photo Courtesy: Kennel on a Hill
Bridgett was able to contact a friend that lived nearby, who was forced to kill the moose upon arrival, according to the post.
Amazingly, the entire team survived the the traumatic encounter, though it left several of the dogs seriously injured.
"We have one dog still fighting for his life-Flash. He was stomped in the head and has a major head injury. Bronze under went emergent surgery last night to repair internal organ damage. Bill had a rear leg broke in half and just got out of surgery to stabilize. Jefe was stapled up, wounds cleaned and soft tissue damage evaluated. The rest of the team is home, inside and recovering," Bridgett said.
In an update, Bridgette shared that Flash is healing and seems to be doing better.
"We are unsure of what each day holds for him, but will take it one day at a time and meet whatever need he has. He is now walking again on his own and starting to have some of his old personality traits show back up-we are hopeful. He has around the clock care. We are unsure of what his future holds other than lots of love," she said.
With the worst seemingly behind them, Bridgette and the team are looking to the future.
"I want you all to know I am NOT giving up. I am not throwing in the towel, I will not let this break me. You have all encouraged me, the team-our team and I want you all to be part of the journey," Bridgett said.
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