There are signs that the humpback spotted in Cook Strait is the famed Migaloo.

A scientist who has just overseen a sprawling nationwide bird count is keen to find out exactly why a chilly early winter has brought more feathered visitors into our back gardens.

A British safari guide was attacked by a leopard in the open-top jeep he was travelling in while in Kruger National Park, South Africa.

The new girl has unpacked her trunk and settled in, says Dionne Christian.

Several Auckland local boards have proposed changes to dog regulations, including a complete ban on dogs at Shoal Bay on the North Shore.

A harsh early winter is bringing more birds into our gardens this year, according to new figures from backyard bird-watchers across the country.

Iwi boss was caught carrying several kereru on a flight from Invercargill back to Northland.

The World Wildlife Fund Australia captured from a GoPro attached to the back of a turtle as it dove through the waters over Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The video, which gives a turtle's-eye view of the coral system is being used to highlight the level of pollution affecting turtles in Australian waters. Source: WWF Australia/Facebook

A year after 1080 poison rained from the sky as Reefton sisters were enjoying a picnic near Kokiri, both are still experiencing ill health.

A brooding expression, rippling muscles, a lingering gaze ... and, er, a habit of beating his chest.

Dog owners around the world are signing up to Tindog, a new smartphone app that allows canine lovers to organise playdates for their pet pooches.

Unlike husbands, canines aren't moody and depressingly downbeat; unlike wives, they don't want to change you. No wonder we put them first, says Judith Woods.

Ngapuhi chairman Sonny Tau has admitted to being caught in possession of dead kereru and says he deeply regrets his mistake.

Kiwi kids have flooded an Auckland environmentalist's mailbox with droves of paper monarch butterflies.

The New Zealand sea lion - one of the rarest sea lion species in the world – has been listed as "endangered” by an international conservation body.

A daredevil cat learned what it was like to fly after taking a ride on the wing of an ultra-light aircraft.

Auckland Zoo's new heavyweight Anjalee has been gallivanting around her paddock today to celebrate her first morning in New Zealand.

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.

A globetrotting cat managed to make its way from Australia to London and then Northern Ireland – a trip of almost 11,000 miles.

Trotting out to West Auckland for a day of equestrian events, Elisabeth Easther discovered the charms of Woodhill Sands Equestrian Centre.

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.

If you've ever wondered what your pets get up to when you're not home, a new animated movie has some theories.

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.

A study led by the Zoological Society of London has pinpointed an unlikely saviour for the stitchbird species - nest-hopping Casanovas.

They washed in by the thousands: tiny red crabs covering the Orange County shoreline much further north than their typical home.

With digital pet therapy in mind, we have compiled our ten favourite cat videos - and as research suggests, there's no need for you to feel bad about it.

Matilda the 'Alien Cat' is causing a stir on the internet, with thousands of followers falling for her unusual massive glassy eyes.

"Internet users spend a significant amount of time consuming cat-related media, some of that while they are supposed to be doing other tasks like working."

Household pets can host a number of organisms that cause parasitic, bacterial, fungal and viral diseases in humans.

A stroppy little penguin was glad to waddle back to his home among the shoreline rocks at Mt Maunganui this morning.