WPY winning image being investigated

Posted: December 20, 2009 
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Behind the scenes of the world’s largest nature photo competition looms a potential scandal. A member of the panel of judges, nature journalist Rosamund Kidman Cox, admits to Suomen Luonto (Nature of Finland) magazine that this year’s overall winner photo is currently being investigated because of a suspected fraud.
”I know what your’re talking about. It is being investigated”, Kidman Cox confirms.
The photographer has given the impression that the picture represents a wild wolf. Now, however, the competition organisation has received evidence indicating that the wolf would actually be a tame one and lives in captivity. The pieces of evidence are under investigation as we speak.
The rules of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year (WPY) competition are very clear: ”Images of captive animals must be declared. The judges will take preference to images taken in free and wild conditions.” So: a wolf photo representing a wild wolf has better chances to win than a wolf photo with a captive animal in it.