Research by an Otago University geology student has uncovered a strange pre-Ice Age world where primitive porpoises and baleen whales roamed the North Pacific alongside comparatively modern marine mammals.

The Ministry for Primary Industries says it may never know the origin of a neurological strain of equine herpes which has so far killed seven thoroughbred horses.

A 4-week-old kitten found in a tied up plastic bag at Whangarei's Mair Park has shocked the local SPCA which wants people to take unwanted animals to its drop-off boxes.

A neurological strain of equine herpes has struck in New Zealand for the first time - killing six thoroughbred horses and infecting six others.

The flight of the bumblebee - once thought to be aerodynamically impossible - has proven to be even more scientifically astounding than previously believed.

A new finding about the domestication of camels in Israel casts doubt on the historical accuracy of some Bible stories.

It is not illegal to kill an animal in New Zealand as long as it is done humanely, which includes bludgeoning bobby calves with hefty objects, Mid Canterbury SPCA inspector John Keeley says.

If you're making the most of the potential long weekend coming up, or heading out of town at any time, Sally Hibbard wants to make sure your pet has its own holiday plans.

More mass protests against Western Australia's shark cull were staged around the country at the weekend.

Eyes on the underwater world of New Zealand, photos by Richard Robinson. See more of his photos in this series at www.depth.co.nz.

Animal loving New Zealanders are being lured into scams by dreams of fluffy kittens and adorable puppies.

A woman who claimed she could not afford treatment for her kitten's ruptured eye has been sentenced to community service and fined.

A carload of Pomeranian dogs is among almost 200 emergency calls about animals and children locked cars dealt with by the Automobile Association so far this summer.

The death of a young bottlenose dolphin who was cut to the bone by a propeller in the Hauraki Gulf has prompted pleas for boat and jetski operators to slow down around marine mammals.

Several cows have been shot over fears a motorist could be injured or killed in a collision with one of the wandering animals.

Cadbury has vowed to launch an investigation after a picture of a wasp embedded into one of its chocolate bars was posted on Twitter.

Anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd says it has boxed in the Japanese whaling fleet's factory ship, effectively suspending whaling in the Southern Ocean.

"Last night," ranger Mike Ogle said, "things went better". By better, he meant just one pilot whale out of 49 that volunteers had nudged back into the rising Golden Bay tide had returned to shore to die.

A Dunedin state housing tenant and the SPCA want Housing New Zealand to reconsider its dog policy.

Housing New Zealand has rejected claims it has a new plan to evict dogs from state homes.

A Kingston man is "frustrated" police gave the Canterbury woman who took his husky a pre-charge warning.

A New Zealand dairy company is reportedly being investigated by Chilean authorities over allegations it inhumanely slaughtered thousands of calves it couldn't use for milk production.

'I'm a grown woman - I feel discriminated against.' Housing NZ is tightening the leash around allowing dogs in state houses, and tenants are unimpressed.

The picturesque bay at Taiji, 420km south of Tokyo, is the site of the world's largest annual dolphin slaughter.