Latest from Animal Welfare

Maui's dolphin danger: 'We're running out of time'

The last remaining 55 of world's rarest species of dolphins could disappear within three decades if New Zealand doesn't act now, wildlife advocates say.

Animal cruelty case: 'It will haunt me'

A Hawkes Bay farmer was ordered to pay $7000 to the SPCA and $529 in reparation following one of the worst cases of neglect an SPCA inspector said he had seen.

Filipino delicacy prompts SPCA probe

An Auckland restaurant serving duck eggs with developing embryo has been cleared by the SPCA for possible cruelty against unhatched ducklings.

Talk to the Animals: Animal testing causes 'severe suffering' in NZ (+graphic)

In NZ animals are afforded basic rights - including freedom and suffering. Except the 3 million made to take part in experiments, writes Sally Hibbard.

Man jailed for torturing possums

A man who filmed himself nailing a possum to a tree has been sentenced to prison.

Animal lovers' red-letter year

Defenders of dogs, cats and rats are starting to feel that this could be their year. They've joined forces to make animal welfare an election issue for the first time.

PM vetoes animal testing for drugs

A law change to take synthetic drugs off the shelves will be passed under urgency by tomorrow afternoon.

Drug trials on animals needed: expert

One of the scientists designing the testing regime for synthetic drugs says trialling novel drugs on humans without testing them on animals first is likely to be considered unethical in NZ.

Jail for lengthy, brutal attack on pigs

A lifestyle block farmer who bashed two pigs with a heavy steel bar in a "prolonged and violent attack" in front of an upset teenage boy has been jailed today.

Man guilty of oven cleaner dog attack

The man accused of spraying oven cleaner into a dog's face has been found guilty by a jury in the Wellington District Court.

Man jailed after 'barbaric' dog beating

A man has been jailed for a year and banned from owning animals for a decade after beating and drowning a dog in an attempt to euthanise it, the SPCA said.

Dog sprayed with oven cleaner

A man sprayed oven cleaner into a dog's face several times while walking in an off-lead area of a park, a jury at Wellington District Court has been told.

Dog attack reawakens nightmare

Parents of dog-attack victims say they relive the nightmare each time they hear of another child suffering horrific injuries when they are mauled by a dog.

Brian Rudman: Dog-law emphasis on owner rights is barking mad

The "right to enjoy owning dogs" has to be protected, even at the cost of 20,000 human victims, writes Brian Rudman.

Teen who shot cat with crossbow would suffer 'extreme hardship' if named

Sochi: Stray dogs 'saved by Russian billionaire'

Condemned to death at the hands of a private extermination company, around 150 of the stray dogs from Sochi's Olympic Park have been saved after the intervention of a Russian billionaire.