AN award-winning wildlife photo which scooped a $16,000 prize is being reviewed by judges after claims it was faked.

Spanish artist Jose Luis Rodriguez's image, called Storybook Wolf, is said to have broken the conditions of the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer Of The Year competition by using a tame wolf rather than a wild one.

The rules of the contest, which attracted more than 43,000 entries, state that images of captive animals must be declared and that preference will be given to images taken in "free and wild conditions".

Judges are investigating claims the wolf pictured is actually one from a zoo near Madrid.

Suspicions were raised when experts said that a wild animal would probably squeeze through the bars of a gate rather than jump over it, as depicted in the photo.

http://www.news.com.au/world/experts-cry-wolf-over-faked-wildlife-photo/story-e6frfkyi-1225812999115