The British Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year has been disqualified and, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, stripped of his $17,860 prize money.
The judging panel recently reconvened and concluded that it was likely that the image, The Storybook Wolf, was created using an animal model that can be hired for photographic purposes, not a wild wolf which Rodriguez claimed to have "tracked" for months.
Competition rules state that photos of animal models may not be entered and if they are entered, they are in breach of Rule 10.
The panel looked at a range of evidence and took specialist advice from panel judges who have extensive experience in photographing wildlife including wolves. They also examined responses to specific questions put to Rodriguez.
Rodriguez strongly denies that the wolf in the image is a model.
