Rescue dogs Kala and Keira were due to be put down at an Atalanta shelter when a heart-wrenching photograph of the lovable pups saved their lives.

WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES. Woman rescues skin and bones dog that was hidden in bush area.

Auckland Zoo has released some rare underwater footage of their two elephants Burma and Anjalee swimming together. In the footage captured by zookeeper Joel the elephants look almost weightless. Source: NZN Video/Auckland Zoo

Ruby would probably not be alive - and certainly wouldn't be mobile - without the assistance of New Zealand Pug Rescue, an off-shoot of the Wellington Pug Dog Club.

A dog callously thrown off a Tauranga bridge in the middle of the night is now up for adoption.

SeaWorld are facing another public relations headache with animal rights group Peta claiming an employee posed for years as an animal rights activist.

An endangered sea turtle which is believed to have been caught in strong currents before it was washed up on a Wellington beach on Saturday remains in a critical condition at Wellington Zoo. The endangered olive ridley sea turtle received a full health assessment at The Nest at Wellington Zoo yesterday.

This year’s Cook Strait Whale Survey counted 137 humpback whales, its highest tally in its 12 years and an encouraging indication their numbers are increasing in New Zealand. The annual four-week Department of Conservation survey, which ended on July 11, also broke its record for the highest number of humpbacks seen in a day with 27 spotted on Sunday June 21.

Animal rights advocates have condemned a ''disturbing'' rise in the number of forced animal drownings this year.

Thousands of cats and dogs have been slaughtered at the Yulin Festival despite official promises to end the practice.

Auckland Zoo's newest addition, Anjalee the Asian elephant, has spent her first night in New Zealand after she was flown, trucked and craned in to Western Springs.

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.

Puppy farms and dog fighting were topics Labour's animal welfare spokesman Trevor Mallard sank his teeth into at the SPCA Otago in Dunedin yesterday.

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.