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Wildlife Photographer of the Year stripped of Award

22nd January 2010
Following investigation into the legitimacy of the winning shot in last year’s prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition Spanish photographer Jose Luis Rodriguez has been stripped of his title and £10,000 reward.

Jose Luis Rodriguez had been accused of using a captive wolf to achieve his dynamic shot of an Iberian wolf leaping a gate whilst hunting. Competition judges said they were convinced that the wolf in the picture was a captive animal known as Ossian from a wildlife park near Madrid, and as such contravened the rules that state that ‘no animal models can be used’ in photographs entered into the competition. Mr Rodriguez had claimed the winning wildlife photo of a rare Iberian wolf was a result of months of patient studying, tracking and planning.

Organisers of the prestigious photography competition, now in its 46th year were alerted to suspicions about the photographs validity by Spanish photographers who recognised the wolf and the surroundings shown in the photo as being from the Canada Real wildlife park near Madrid.

Head judge Mark Carwardine , a widely published wildlife photographer himself recalls “I remember thinking, my God, this really is a wild wolf, what an achievement.” "I don't understand the mentality at all. People feel very disappointed with the photographer.”

Judge and wolf expert/photographer Jim Brandenburg noted that after further examination and investigation of the photograph he was 99.9% convinced that it is a tame wolf. Competition organisers noted that Jose Luis Rodriguez was given the opportunity to corroborate his story and asked whether there was anyone who could act as a witness on his behalf, however his answers were thought to be inadequate.

The controversy surrounding the image is thought to be first of its kind in a competition widely regarded among professional and amateur wildlife photographers as the most sought after prize in the industry. 2009’s Wildlife Photographer the Year competition organised by BBC Wildlife Magazine and the Natural History Museum attracted over 43,000 entries from 94 countries.

The competition provides the unique opportunity for any wildlife enthusiast to hit fame with the winning image unveiled at a prestigious award ceremony held at the Natural History Museum and then widely published in the press as well as in an accompanying book.

Check out more about this year’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition and details of how to enter next year’s event at the Natural History Museum’s website.