"It was like hooking a hook on an angus bull and slapping it on the backside."

After a long 15 months of waiting, Auckland Zoo staff were pipped at the post when they missed the birth of the latest addition to the giraffe herd.

A seal has been spotted sunning itself on rocks along Auckland's Tamaki Drive today.

An animal advocacy group says it had previously investigated the Waikato farm where 400 pigs burnt to death over the weekend.

We're a nation of dog-lovers - and a new book pays tribute to the canines who are our loyal companions.

Alan Perrott spends the day with Coers and his 1600kg new charge, Anjalee, and discovers what makes our zoo different from any other in the world.

Volunteers who spent decades restoring Motutapu are devastated and angry that hunters mistakenly shot four of their takahe "friends" on the island.

The people involved in the shooting of four critically endangered takahe are "very, very upset", the president of the Deerstalkers' Association says.

Failed attempt off Monomoy, Cape Cod - filmed by Dr. Greg Skomal of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries working with Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. www.atlanticwhiteshark.org. Source: Atlantic White Shark Conservancy/YouTube

Here are the ten best photos from the annual cat fashion show held at New York's Algonquin Hotel. This year's theme? Uniforms.

US dentist Walter Palmer went into hiding six weeks ago amid international furore over the slaying of famous lion.

Breaking News cameraman Geoff Mackley, had an exclusive ride along on the Eastbound Tranz Alpine train from Greymouth to Christchurch, filming from the locomotive cab. While filming he captured something pretty amazing, a Hawk was on the tracks and narrowly misses the camera/train by metres.

This is the comical moment when a bear stuck its head through a cat flap and cased the joint.

This koala shows a surprising turn of pace and a heck of a lot of ticker chasing down a quad bike on an Australian farm.

More hearing-impaired Kiwis are set to benefit from the Hearing Dogs NZ charity, after it received a $30,000 grant from Jetstar's Flying Start programme.

Say hello to Corduroy. He lives in Oregon with Ashley Reed Okura, and, at 26 years old, he's the oldest documented living cat in the world.

Close encounter with "the most beautiful of sharks" earns place among New Zealand Geographic's Photographer of the Year finalists.

Everyone loves the animals of the internet - especially on the weekend. We've handpicked our top nine social media savvy animals to shine a spotlight on.

The Pound Pups TV star is labelled an animal behaviourist but says that changing human behaviour is the hard part of his work.

Fishermen capture incredible selfie with a whale that wanted them to help remove plastic bags caught in its mouth.

Uggie, the canine star of the Oscar-winning silent movie The Artist, has lost his battle with prostate cancer.

Stray dog picked up in Sydney actually from Hastings - but his story has a happy ending, thanks to hilarious Facebook post.

An adorable fawn and a bunny rabbit have been captured playing together, recreating a heart-warming Disney moment.

BAMBI FLASHBACK: This video of a young deer and a rabbit playing together at a YMCA of the Rockies centre in Estes Park, Colorado, has been circulating online today. According to local news stories, the video was shot by Steve and Vicky Johnsen last Thursday. Source: YMCA of the Rockies

A video posted by explore.org, a multimedia wing of the philanthropic Annenberg Foundation dedicated to documenting wildlife, shows belugas approaching a boat while a cellist on board plays The Beatles. The scene was captured by explore.org's Beluga Boat Cam, a project that broadcasts beluga sightings underwater and on deck. Source: explore.org /Facebook

A seal has been spotted near Frank Kitts Park in Wellington this morning.

For more than a century, it has been known as the "holy grail" of birdwatching - a mysterious tiny species seen by only a handful of people since it was discovered fluttering across the Australian bush 170 years ago.

A truck driver spotted a whale that is basking close to shore at Auckland's waterfront.

This baby rhino was spotted cuddling up to a car after poachers killed his mother in Kruger National Park, South Africa.