Latest fromPets & Animals

Talk to the Animals: The healing power of animals
Can we postulate that animals could actually heal us? Research around this topic has provided some interesting results.

Dinosaur-era fossil found in streambed
The fossil of a squid-like creature wiped out with the dinosaurs has been discovered in a Hawkes Bay streambed. What makes it such a 'significant' find for NZ?

Croc snatches victim out of boat
The remains of a man taken by a crocodile in front of his family in the Northern Territory's Kakadu National Park have been recovered.

Getting on their high horse
Danielle Wright connects with a group of special children getting active on horseback.

Zoo worker in gorilla suit shot by vet in Tenerife
A vet shot a tranquiliser dart at a zoo employee dressed as a gorilla after mistaking him for a primate.

Dita De Boni: When family pets are people too
Dita De Boni writes: I once swore we'd get pets for the kids "over my dead body", yet here I am, looking at a fish tank containing the three newest members of the household: Hammerhead, Fishey and Wuzzley.

Orca wow at Kawau
A long weekend away turned out to be better than expected for Andrea Hegan, who paddled alongside a number of orca whales near Kawau Island on Sunday.

World 'on verge of mass extinction'
Humanity has pushed the planet to the brink of a dinosaur-scale sixth mass extinction, a new study has warned.

Seal which attacked walker won't be shot
The local council will consider putting up signs on a New Plymouth walkway following a seal attack on an elderly man, but the animal won't be shot unless necessary.

DoC under attack after seal hurts man
An elderly man attacked by a fur seal on the New Plymouth foreshore was in a serious condition last night.

Ants more efficient than Google
The dedication and stamina of the worker ant were celebrated in Aesop's Fables - in contrast to the lazy, singing grasshopper.

Celebrated researcher Jane Goodall to visit NZ
Dame Jane Goodall, the celebrated ethologist considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, will give a series of public talks in New Zealand next month.

Joint effort gives takahe sanctuary at Tawharanui
Takahe are famous for one of the most dramatic comebacks in conservation history — but they're not out of the woods yet.

Cheetah dies on way to zoo
It's been a bad morning for Wellington Zoo. One of its new cheetahs has died and an investigation has been launched into how a toddler got into a tiger enclosure.

Kaimanawa muster gets under way
Steam rises from a group of Kaimanawa horses during the biannual muster.

Dead cats found in rubbish bags
The police and SPCA have carried out a search of a Raglan property as part of an investigation into how the bodies of two cats ended up dead in rubbish bags.

Talk to the Animals: Cat people Vs dog people
Join the debate: Are you a cat person or a dog person? State your case.

South Island kiwi's deaths puzzles DoC
Department of Conservation staff are trying to work out how an endangered South Island kiwi came to be found dead in a North Island town.

Bro gets fish and chip then heads home
Bro the Fiordland crested penguin is on his way home after being found eight months ago suffering an injury to his left leg on a beach in Australia.

Woman robbed while trying to rescue kitten
A random act of kindness turned into a nightmare for a woman who had stopped to help a cat she had almost run over.

The Lady of the Heather
Courageous Kiwis put their bodies on the line going after quarry including wild pigs, stags and great whites. But in this country no form of hunting or fishing could possibly match the dangers faced long ago by sealers.

Shark finning: Proposal to bring ban forward
The Government will bring forward a total ban on the finning of dead sharks by two years in response to widespread public concern about the gruesome practice.

Zipline thrill ride could harm koalas
Environmentalists say trees that will support a new zipline tourism attraction on the Sunshine Coast are koala habitats.

How many visitors can a koala bear?
The more visitors within a five-metre radius of the koalas, the more vigilance behaviour koalas displayed, which puts them in an alert state.