Each year, the North American Veterinary Conference (NAVC) embarks on an expedition to a remote, exotic location to learn more about animals in their natural habitats. This past year, our Expeditions crew traveled to Canada to view polar bears in the Arctic and participate in a polar bear rescue. These are the submissions from the photo contest that followed the trip - scroll through to view these incredible shots of Arctic wildlife from our talented photographers. The image above is the contest winner, photographed by Dr. Rick Beldegreen during the NAVC Polar Bear Expedition 2009.

Arctic fox: Photo by Dr. Doug Mader

Polar bear breaking through the ice: Photo by Dr. Milton Ness

Polar bear and Arctic fox: Photo by Dr. Howard Mintzer

Polar bear: Photo by Dr. John Koehm

Polar bear: Photo by Dr. Steve Barten

Polar bear: Photo by Jocelynn Jacobs-Knoll