A rat plague in the picturesque Hunua Ranges is threatening New Zealand's biggest mainland population of the kokako.

Tuatara have hatched in the wild in the South Island for possibly the first time in several hundred years, experts say.

A female chimpanzee died after a horrific two-minute attack by the dominant male at Hamilton Zoo.

It may have taken five years, but Chester the shelter dog has finally found a home - and become a social media sensation at the same time.

A proposed voluntary code of conduct for breeders selling puppies on Trade Me doesn't go far enough, say animal advocates.

Some take part in a competition to kill as many rabbits as possible. Animal expert Sally Hibbard questions the 24th Annual Great Easter Bunny Hunt.

Spiders presented such a great danger to humans during the early evolutionary stages that a fear of the species became part of our DNA.

NZ is home to tens of thousands of endemic plant, animal, insect and marine species. Jamie Morton looks at 10 new finds.

Two bouncy, wriggly beagle puppies will be spending their first Easter as trainee biosecurity detector dogs. Brother and sister Charleston and Roxy are only 10 weeks old but are already two weeks into their Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) training programme.

A small songbird no bigger than a sparrow flies up to 2770km over open ocean in what has been described as one of the "most extraordinary migratory feats on the planet".

Eight years after Knut drew millions of visitors to Berlin Zoo, the polar bear's baby brother has been christened at a zoo in the north-eastern German town of Rostock.

The Government has relented to a campaign to ban animal trials for the second time in a year, this time within the cosmetics industry.

The Government is expected to propose a ban on testing cosmetics on animals this afternoon.

Basic Kiwi ingenuity is helping endangered sea lion pups out of tough spots on one of New Zealand’s most remote islands.

Half the 7375 dogs impounded in Auckland were destroyed in 2013-14 after being unclaimed by their owners and deemed unsuitable for adoption.

A hunter had to be airlifted to hospital yesterday after he was attacked by a swarm of angry bees in the Bell Hill area.

With the full name of Abergavenny Sunny, and a pedigree status as a seal tabby Birman, Sunny the cat is a creature of some dignity and grace.

One-year-old red panda Khusi was transferred from Hamilton Zoo, and arrived in the capital on Tuesday.

He is 12 weeks old, 7cm tall and weighs just 300g. Meet tiny Toudi who is believed to be the world's smallest Chihuahua.

Wrapped in a furry cream blanket with a pink silk trim, Anubis the cheetah lies in a large green sling and is carried into the Auckland Zoo vet surgery by seven zoo staff.

A complicated cat rescue at a Mosgiel arts and crafts shop has ended with the shop's lock picked and holes bored into its wall.

From just plain weird to outright dangerous, going beyond a healthy enthusiasm for pets and animals brings some interesting results.

The northern white rhino is heading the way of the dinosaurs. With only five left on Earth extinction is now inevitable.

Two new dogs have joined the team at border control to help prevent the spread of the Queensland fruit fly. They join a growing team of canines around Auckland in charge of pest control. Michael Craig captured some of them in action.

A family dog reportedly stabbed during a burglary was actually injured while fighting another dog, police say.

An unusual white-coloured kingfisher is on the mend after headbutting the window of a Whangarei home by mistake.