A mare and her foal have been poisoned with a cocktail of prescription and over-the-counter drugs by a group of schoolboys.

Shelley Bridgeman isn't fond of cats. She's even gone as far as using cat repellent to keep the neighbourhood cats away.

Columnist Sam Judd checks in on free-range eggs. Are they really free-range or are the images of happy chickens frolicking in green paddocks just a fantasy?

There are only 7 northern white rhinos left in the world and 4 of them live in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. Protecting them and the other rhinos, elephants, leopards and other animals in the reserve is a particularly hard job for the 190 rangers.

The mother of a woman who was attacked by two dogs is relieved they have been removed from the owners.

More than 80 per cent of those who live with cats consider them to be a member of the family, writes Bob Kerridge.

Demand for New Zealand dairy livestock in China appears to be booming, with more than 38,000 live animals leaving our shores for Chinese pastures last year.

Almost 20 abandoned animals featured in the Herald's summer papers have found homes.

Those responsible for shooting five domesticated goats, one of which took five days to die, are being warned by police.

Poachers and stock rustlers are being warned by Federated Farmers to find a different line of work.

The majority of New Zealanders do not want recreational drugs tested on animals, a Herald-DigiPoll survey reveals.

More than 360 impounded dogs were killed this year despite being suitable for adoption.

Wanganui SPCA staff rescued a dog which they say was having a fit and near death due to being trapped in a hot vehicle.

The New Zealand dotterel breeding season this year has been fraught with nest losses mainly due to predation.

An Auckland cat owner is hoping a reward will lead to information about who shot her 1-year-old seal burmese with an airgun.

Drug policy has to start from a base of logic, writes Kevin Tamati. "Peter Dunne has reasoned that it's the health consequences that provide a rationale."

Manufacturers of party pills could be prevented from testing their drugs on animals if they cannot prove it is worth the pain they could potentially cause.

Party pills will be tested on animals before they are allowed to be sold because "human safety is ... paramount", Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne says.

Pro-surfer Dave Rastovich was here to help save the threatened Maui's dolphin, but in the end it was them who helped him.

No charges will be laid against a man who horrified dozens of drivers by carrying his dog like a huge handbag while walking on a main road.

Wild birds including ducks, geese and pheasants are being poached from public parks in Auckland and being turned into dinner.

The volcanoes of Mordor are erupting right on cue for the Hobbit premiere, but animals have been the problem.