Animals

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An Israeli photographer has traveled as far as the White Sea in the North Pole to take pictures of the Beluga whale. One of her shots has won her.
the National Geographic "Public's Favorite" award. Our correspondent has the details.

Dafna Ben-Nun, an Israeli photographer, has pursued her love for animals.

In her last trip to the White Sea, north of Russia, she successfully captured a picture of two Beluga whales squirting jets of water.

That picture has won her the award and title of "Public's Favorite" in an international photography competition held last month on the National Geographic website.

Dafna has always dreamt about going to the White Sea and shooting whales, but she never imagined the arduous efforts involved in making her dreams come true.

For example, taking a special course in diving in ice water.

And the diving itself has turned out to be quite risky.

[Dafna Ben-Nun, Photographer]:
"Whales are very sociable with people. It is an amazing experience being close to them. They live only in the North Pole, so being with them is a unique and exciting experience. You can pat them and play with them, and that's how I found out that if you pat them on the nose they would pull you upwards, above water level."

Dafna has been taking pictures of animals around the globe: panda bears in Sichuan province in China, pink dolphins in the Amazon in Brazil, Emperor penguins in the south pole, and manatees in the Galapagos Islands.

[Dafna Ben-Nun, Photographer]:
"Having been to the north and the south poles and seen how harsh living conditions there are, I've acquired enormous respect for those animals, and I feel it's important to pass on this message. Even the smallest change of balance in the world can harm those amazing creatures. The best way for me is to move the hearts of people by my...