They were known as the Spade Brigade: thousands of volunteers, from different walks of life, armed with garden tools. Together, they transformed Tiritiri Matangi from a virtually birdless, treeless island to a world-renowned forest sanctuary.

An animal welfare group is offering a reward in a bid to track down and prosecute a pet owner who callously threw a dog off a bridge into the Wairoa River.

New Zealand's top fashion designers have donated exclusive items to help the Herald's Viva magazine raise money for animals in need.

A woman has been banned from owning animals for ten years after a horse starved to death.

Danish radio presenter bludgeoned a baby rabbit to death with a bicycle pump whilst debating animal rights live on air.

VIDEO: Residents of a Brisbane neighbourhood are being stalked by a giant kangaroo, taking locals by surprise as it wanders fearlessly around the streets.

Australia's live animal export trade is once again under a harsh spotlight amid claims that cattle are being bludgeoned to death with sledgehammers in Vietnam.

No chickens were harmed in a fire that tore through a commercial chicken processing plant in rural Waikato this morning.

A new review calling for bold and urgent measures to control roaming cats - including compulsory microchipping - has been criticised as flawed.

Thermal imaging could be used to prevent ships striking whales by detecting the heat from their bodies.

Auckland Zoo's new elephant, Anjalee, enjoys a pat while in quarantine on Niue.

A new class action lawsuit has been filed against SeaWorld in Florida which accuses the marine park of keeping its killer whales drugged.

A dominant male chimpanzee that launched a ferocious two-minute attack that killed a female newcomer to Hamilton Zoo is back with his troop.

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.

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

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.

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

Authorities are investigating a photo of thin jersey cows being transported across Cook Strait to slaughter, which caused outrage after being shared on Facebook.

A police officer who was savagely attacked by a pitbull while on duty yesterday says he went into survival mode while the dog chewed at his body.

A man will appear in court today after a police officer suffered numerous bite wounds to his head and cuts from a pitbull dog in Foxton yesterday.

Thanks to people like Gina Schick, visions of former champion horses being trucked off to pet food factories are proving false.

A policeman suffered numerous bite wounds to his head and cuts to his face in an "appalling" unprovoked attack by a man's pitbull dog in Foxton yesterday.

Animal rights organisation PETA wants Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer to cancel any plans to ship two capuchin monkeys to Australia for the filming of the next Pirates of the Caribbean film.

A fledgling Kaka was mauled to death by a dog in the Wellington region resulting in a plea from park staff to the public to keep their dogs on a leash.

The Green Party has enlisted the help of a cuddly rabbit in a bid to convince Government to support a ban on testing cosmetics on animals.

Ngongotaha residents have been burying dead ducks found on the shores of Lake Rotorua, and experts say the birds are likely to have died of botulism.