The title of the contest is Wildlife and this winner used a tame wolf..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8470962.stm

I suppose this shot was always going to be a bone of contention. Maybe the judges are barking up the wrong tree. But if he appeals lets hope the fur doesn't fly. I also hope his fellow photographers dont hound him. Like the old saying goes...never work with animals and children..its a foxy business.

Maybe he got fed up of crying wolf?

He certainly seems to have made a dogs dinner of it.

he also didnt REally take the picture...he set up an infra red thing to go off when the wolf jumped over

Lol My what big eyes the judges  have..  Must be a Timber wolf!

Danny O'Byrne  http://www.digitalartzone.co.uk/

"All the technique in the world doesn't compensate for the inability to notice" Eliott Erwitt

I don't know which side to believe here but it does make me wonder about other things. What if a bird photographer scattered some seeds about; would that make his shots of birds attracted by the seeds unacceptabe as "wildlife" shots? If so, then probably every underwater photo of a shark would be circumspect since they are usually attracted by baiting. What about photographing Bighorn sheep at a natural salt lick? You know they are going to be there. What do others feel about this?

I realize my "what ifs" do not exactly pertain to the subject presented, just wondering what others think.

Wayne

It is the difference between wild and trained, the competition organisers had already considered the possible result of not making the rules clear.Otherwise you could have loads of entries from open plan zoos.Certainly has made those potential cheats think again. Keen animal photo pros do spend time taking stock pics of  captive animals with backgrounds which are natural and after a while they recognise features on these models. These photos do have a good market for cards and calenders.

I didn't read the rules..but it is a "wildlife" photo contest..Not  truly captured in the "wild"

seems pretty clear to me..

www.bclaytonphoto.com

bclaytonphoto on Facebook

Is a domestic dog a wild animal?
Is a stray dog a wild animal?
Is a stray dog a wild animal if you see it in the woods?
Is a stray dog a wild animal if you see it in the woods and call its name (because you recognise its picture from a "Missing" advert), and take a photo of it running towards you?

Is a "tame" wolf a domestic animal?
Is an escaped tame wolf a wild animal?...
If you let it out the cage is it still an "escaped tame wolf"?

see my thinking.  Not really cheating, but thinking outside of the box in my book.

But yes - for the future of the competition and the sweet victory that is getting a great wildlife shot properly in the wild then i think he should be banned and more stringent rules applied.

Still a fantastic photo... i have a postcard of it on my wall...

"In every colour, there's the light.
In every stone sleeps a crystal.
Remember the Shaman, when he used to say:
Man is the dream of the Dolphin"

Rich Meadows Photography

There is a lot more to this story than that contained in the original link...

Here are some comparison photos to identify the wolf....and the location of where the image was taken;

http://www.suomenluonto.fi/bbc-luontokuvakisassa-epaillaan-huijausta

It's in Finnish...so you'll have to use google translator...

In youth, we learn....with age, we understand.

:)