This year’s Cook Strait Whale Survey counted 137 humpback whales, its highest tally in its 12 years and an encouraging indication their numbers are increasing in New Zealand. The annual four-week Department of Conservation survey, which ended on July 11, also broke its record for the highest number of humpbacks seen in a day with 27 spotted on Sunday June 21.

At what level of veterinarian bill is it better to let your beloved cat, dog, turtle, snake or kunekune pig die? writes Matt Heath.

An endangered olive ridley sea turtle being treated for hypothermia after it washed up on a Wellington beach has a 50-50 chance of survival.

Department of Conservation bosses are employing "secret shoppers" to track controversial great white shark dive experiences.

A French bulldog who got carried away with a roll of toilet paper might have got away with it if it hadn’t been for her bull mastiff mate.

Scientists have discovered at least two species of sharks living in an underwater volcano near the Solomon Islands.

A cute takahe chick stole the show today as Motutapu island celebrated 21 years of volunteer conservation work.

An American family have had a surprise package land in their backyard – a baby shark.

Acrobatic pigeons, 39,000 bees and a cockatiel with one-and-a-half legs - these are just a few of the bizarre cases of alleged animal thefts in Britain.

This cute ginger kitten has obviously never heard of the phrase “curiosity killed the cat”.

There are signs that the humpback spotted in Cook Strait is the famed Migaloo.

A scientist who has just overseen a sprawling nationwide bird count is keen to find out exactly why a chilly early winter has brought more feathered visitors into our back gardens.

A British safari guide was attacked by a leopard in the open-top jeep he was travelling in while in Kruger National Park, South Africa.

The new girl has unpacked her trunk and settled in, says Dionne Christian.

Several Auckland local boards have proposed changes to dog regulations, including a complete ban on dogs at Shoal Bay on the North Shore.

A harsh early winter is bringing more birds into our gardens this year, according to new figures from backyard bird-watchers across the country.

Iwi boss was caught carrying several kereru on a flight from Invercargill back to Northland.

The World Wildlife Fund Australia captured from a GoPro attached to the back of a turtle as it dove through the waters over Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The video, which gives a turtle's-eye view of the coral system is being used to highlight the level of pollution affecting turtles in Australian waters. Source: WWF Australia/Facebook

No-one likes being stared at, and finding out that you are being eyeballed by a stranger can be unnerving.

A brooding expression, rippling muscles, a lingering gaze ... and, er, a habit of beating his chest.

Dog owners around the world are signing up to Tindog, a new smartphone app that allows canine lovers to organise playdates for their pet pooches.

Unlike husbands, canines aren't moody and depressingly downbeat; unlike wives, they don't want to change you. No wonder we put them first, says Judith Woods.

Ngapuhi chairman Sonny Tau has admitted to being caught in possession of dead kereru and says he deeply regrets his mistake.

Kiwi kids have flooded an Auckland environmentalist's mailbox with droves of paper monarch butterflies.

The New Zealand sea lion - one of the rarest sea lion species in the world – has been listed as "endangered” by an international conservation body.

A daredevil cat learned what it was like to fly after taking a ride on the wing of an ultra-light aircraft.

Auckland Zoo's new heavyweight Anjalee has been gallivanting around her paddock today to celebrate her first morning in New Zealand.

Auckland Zoo's newest addition, Anjalee the Asian elephant, has spent her first night in New Zealand after she was flown, trucked and craned in to Western Springs.

Matt Heath writes: A grown man walking his toy dog down the road is humiliating - even when there's an evolutionary man-dog bond so powerful they'd do anything for each other.