Household pets can host a number of organisms that cause parasitic, bacterial, fungal and viral diseases in humans.

A stroppy little penguin was glad to waddle back to his home among the shoreline rocks at Mt Maunganui this morning.

New Zealand's top fashion designers have donated exclusive items to help the Herald's Viva magazine raise money for animals in need.

Are cats secretly laughing at us? Is all that purring, licking and being available for stroking just an elaborate ruse for food and a warm place to sleep?

The incredible travels of a hefty great white shark named Pip are helping scientists rewrite the book on everything we thought we knew about the feared species.

Frankie, Freddy or Fifi? Or maybe something more home-grown like Frodo or Fauna?

Another seal has shown up Auckland — this time in Campbells Bay on the North Shore.

Chimpanzees have the same types of smiles as humans when laughing and do not even need to make a sound to be understood, according to a new study.

Mike and Gill Godfrey never planned to breed cats but 15 years on from buying their first ragdoll they have almost 90 strutting around their Te Puna property.

Dancing, singing, and, er, peeing on yourself - it's all part of the playbook if you're a native short-tailed bat looking to get lucky with the ladies.

A spider claimed to be the world's deadliest is feared to be on the loose in Britain after a family spotted a nest in a bunch of bananas.

The fifth seal in two weeks has come to shore in South Auckland - this time in Manurewa. Earlier this afternoon a seal had been spotted in Wattle Downs, Manurewa. That seal has since been returned to its natural habitat by the Department of Conservation.

The fifth seal in two weeks has come to shore in South Auckland - this time in Manurewa.

Conservationists say they'll probably never know what caused barracuda to maul dozens of endangered yellow-eyed penguins this year.

A yellow-eyed penguin thought to have had a nasty encounter with a barracuda is today on its way back home.

A woman has been banned from owning animals for ten years after a horse starved to death.

The camera of an American woman mauled to death by a lion in South Africa has been taken by police investigating what prompted the big cat to pounce.

They have already shown that they enjoy tea parties, so it should perhaps come as no surprise they are also intelligent enough to understand cooking.

Brent Gallagher thought he was a goner as he lay on the ground with serious injuries and a raging bull called Pistol Whip bearing down on him.

St John and SPCA run a therapy session at Northbridge Rest Home hospital wing.

Sometimes you just need someone to listen - even if that someone is a ball of fluff that hits snooze for two thirds of its life.

It is not the infamous seal that took over a car wash in the area earlier this week... this time, it's a baby!

A Wellington Zoo staff member has travelled to Colombia to help a local conservation group care for endangered primates.

Benny tries to look innocent but his scruffy mug says a thousand words.

A new warning has sounded for the world’s smallest dolphin, with a New Zealand researcher now reporting there are less than 50 Maui’s dolphins left.

Award-winning film-maker and author Lloyd Spencer Davis, aka 'Professor Penguin', is regarded as a world authority on penguins. He talks to Jennifer Dann.

Danish radio presenter bludgeoned a baby rabbit to death with a bicycle pump whilst debating animal rights live on air.

There were 14 seal-related injury claims last year. One person was even bitten on the bum.

Animal behaviour expert Sally Hibbard lists the ten most annoying things you can say to a vegetarian.

Feel like a cuteness overload? The SPCA is currently live streaming four fuzzy kittens as part of an adoption drive.