A Huntly woman has been banned from owning animals for five years after a small wound on her cat's back grew to the "size of a palm" because she didn't take it to the vet for months.

When a notoriously irritable reptile with a mouthful of jagged teeth and a vicious underbite needs medical care, caution is definitely in order.

A petrified peacock runner has been immortalised in a series of hilarious memes.

Pet owners are being warned to watch out for gin traps in the area after a cat suffered serious injuries when it became trapped in one.

The zoo has had hundreds of emails, tweets and Facebook comments, with a great range of names, resulting in the team having a tough job to pick only two of them.

She's a valued staff member at the funeral home where she works, and Lulu is always on hand to offer a paw to hold.

Not just any turtle could help these scientists determine why loggerhead sea turtles are dying. They recruited a dead one.

A petition to save Chip the puppy from being put down has more than 10,000 signatures, but Council claim the dog is sick.

Auckland Zoo needs your help to name two new arrivals - a pair of male capybara pups.

Apollo Taito is a sergeant in the NZ Army, an ambassador for animal rights organisation Safe and one of an estimated five Samoan vegans in the country.

A petition has been set up in an attempt to find a loving family for this dumped dog.

Chihuahua-Chinese Crested mix takes home world's ugliest dog honours in California competiton

Dog lovers might think cat owners often feel superior to them - and they might be barking up the right tree.

The current diversity of feathers, fur and scales is part of what made their origins so mystifying to scientists.

An Auckland electrician who rescued a young pup out of a rubbish bin is disappointed to his good deed might end with it being put down.

A Texan zoo has found a creative way to keep a llama cool in temperatures of more than 40C.

Feline like a drink? "Pinot meow" for your cat is now a thing.

Under a full moon and clear skies on an unseasonably warm evening in late June, I am hiking across Otata Island in The Noises.

Auckland Zoo hope that the release of hundreds of captive-bred young Wetapunga (Giant Weta) on Otata Island in the Hauraki Gulf will help the health of the islands forests.

Organisers of a nationwide survey are urging people to keep a sharp eye out for feathered visitors to their back gardens.

A new detective has arrived. He is an altogether different species of investigator.

Whangarei mechanic Michael Smith's job title usually doesn't include rescuing cats - but today was a different story.

Chameleon spit is 400 times more viscous than our saliva.

When Trina Hibberd woke up Monday morning, she found herself in a living nightmare after discovering a five-metre python draped around her living room.

An Amazon jaguar has been shot dead by the Brazilian army after participating as a 'mascot' for an Olympic torch ceremony.

The justice meted out to animal attackers varies by jurisdiction and species. But the default is to err on the side of human safety.

A New Zealand man’s been stabbed while walking along a beach in Thailand. Sushi has returned home after being missing for eight years, the moggy’s owner is over joyed.

New Zealanders have long been a nation of animal lovers, and now we're also a country that loves to post pictures of our pets online.

A large dolphin pod rides the waves at West Beach in Esperance, Western Australia. Source: Youtube / David Smith777