Tauranga has been put on the celebrity-pooch map after global superstar Lady Gaga bought a month's worth of dog food from a Tauranga company.

A live scorpion has been destroyed after being found in the tent of a traveller returning to Auckland from Mexico.

Stories about lizards hidden in underpants and monkeys strapped to midriffs may cause some amusement, but is a much more serious issue.

A scorpion has been destroyed after being found inside the tent of a traveller coming back into Auckland from Mexico at Auckland Airport.

Two Reefton women who were caught in the bush as 1080 poison rained from the sky last summer are now both reporting ill health.

A Northern Territory goose hunter fought off a crocodile by wrestling it and poking it in the eyes, police say.

Volunteers have gone into South Island back country looking for white-tailed deer which may have been killed by a Department of Conservation 1080 poison drop.

New Zealand scientists hope to discover what makes 350kg deep sea beast tick. Watch a live stream of the examination.

Fiordland crested penguin Munro is making the most of the spring sunshine.

Scientists will soon examine an intact colossal squid for the first time in six years.

A man is being hunted by police after he was filmed apparently dumping a dead puppy in a Christchurch creek.

A dogs' home in northern England says it is "overwhelmed" after an online appeal raised 1 million ($2m) in 24 hours from more than 110,000 donations.

Man's best friend is more closely aligned to humans than many dog owners may realise.

Hotels are now offering special packages for pampered pooches, writes Sarah Marshall.

The man killed by a shark at Byron Bay in New South Wales joked with his parents during their last conversation about the risk sharks posed.

The start of a war will be commemorated this week -- one waged not on foreign battlefields, but across our own offshore islands.

British ex-pat Paul Wilcox joked with his step-father: "I always wear a wetsuit and I use a lot of sun lotion. The sun's not the problem, the sharks are.”

A man risked his life as he entered blood-drenched water to try to save a swimmer being attacked by a shark at a popular New South Wales beach.

Sally Hibbard offers 10 suggestions offer tangible ways to support animal welfare and the protection of animal habitats through simple actions and choices.

Horrified swimmers describe seeing a huge shark in Australian waters after man killed in front of them.

There are oodles of adorable animals making a mark on our Instagram account, Nicky Park has picked the eight that you need to be following.

Passengers on a flight to New Zealand got a scare when a large centipede scuttled up the leg of a first class passenger.

The father of a boy seriously injured in a dog attack has been charged as a result of the incident.

In a strange twist to an already bizarre tale, the half-sister of a baby girl killed when she was snatched by dingoes in Australia has become an advocate for the very animals that took her.

Michael Wheeler cannot imagine a life of independence without Friend - he pushes open doors, picks up fallen pencils and even fetches Michael's lunch from the refrigerator for him.