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Validity of Wildlife Photographer of the Year Winner Questioned

18th December 2009

The latest winner of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition Jose Luis Rodriguez from Spain has strongly denied any wrongdoing after the validity of his winning image of an Iberian wolf leaping a gate whilst out hunting was put into question.

Having beaten upwards of 43,000 entries and claimed a £10,000 prize at a ceremony in October, the Natural History Museum joint organisers of the competition along with BBC Wildlife Magazine received a complaint that the wolf featured in the winning photograph was tame.

Widely regarded as the most prestigious accolade among amateur and professional wildlife photographers alike the competition rules state that no “animal models” can be used. A spokesman for the Natural History Museum said: “The Museum is aware of an allegation as to the veracity of the photograph, Storybook Wolf, by Jose Luis Rodriguez, specifically that an animal model was used in breach of the competition rules".

Several days ago a member of the judging panel for the competition, nature journalist Rosamund Kidman Cox, admitted to Suomen Luonto (Nature of Finland) magazine that this year's overall winning photograph is currently under investigation due to allegations that the wolf featured is indeed a captive animal known as Ossian who lives in a zoo near Madrid. Evidence that the Wildlife Photographer of the Year organisation is looking at includes photos of Ossian and the enclosure that he lives in, which bears resemblance to the environment featured in the winning photograph. Additional consideration is also being taken to the fact that a wild wolf would more than likely squeeze between the fence bars to avoid detection as opposed to jumping high over the fence.

Mr Rodrigeuz states in his notes for the photograph that he had "visualised this image many years ago" and that the picture symbolised "the ancient conflict between humans and wolves". He explained how he’d laid bait to tempt the wild animal over a fence into a disused cattle corral every night for several weeks until he captured the perfect shot.

The competition itself now in its 45th year still stands as the most sought after prize for wildlife photographers both in the UK and abroad. It not only offers a substantial cash prize but also provides the winning photographer with an unparalleled level of promotion which in-turn generates work and revenue for the year following a win if not more.

If the image is proved to be a fake Mr Rodriguez stands to be stripped of his title and prize. It would undoubtedly be one of, if not the most significant cases of fraud in the history of nature photography.