A diver who suffered a potentially fatal blow when struck in the chest by a stingray's barb is one of several people to have a close encounter so far this summer.

The finning of dead sharks will be completely banned by 2016, the Government has announced.

"Somehow he got flattened." The wife of a Tihoi farmer who suffered "bumps and bruises" after being sat on by a cow is still unsure how the accident happened.

Abandoned on the streets with a collar embedded in her neck, Zahara has recovered and is ready for a loving home.

"I've heard of other cats taking socks, but he is prolific." Like a real-life Slinky Malinki, Oscar the cat sneaks out each night to steal from his neighbours.

Editorial: Shooting sharks does not sound very sensible if the purpose is to make beaches safer for swimming.

"I guess social media is good for something." A puppy owner is grateful her pet Misty, stolen outside Grey Lynn Countdown, has been returned.

"I saw everyone running from the water." Swimmers and boarders at Papamoa Beach head for sand as bronze whaler swims through the shallows.

It was a routine flea treatment, his family thought. But it was nearly a case of kitty-cide for Dexter who had a bad reaction to the product - which was for dogs.

Many dog owners have found themselves unable to resist treating a pet that makes "puppy dog eyes" and now scientists have discovered the cute expression taps into our subconscious.

Melissa and Charlie come as a pair, having lived together with a previous owner, and would like to be adopted.

An Auckland man and his friends thought they had spotted a whale when they glimpsed what turned out to be a giant manta ray.

Twenty-seven pilot whales beached at the top of the South Island overnight have been euthanised.

The ability to make friends with those who have similar personality traits dates back to when chimps and humans were on similar evolutionary paths, scientists say.

The SPCA was given 14 pigeons in September after their previous owner became dismayed at the rate they were breeding.

A twig snaps, a crow calls, but nothing moves in the dense pine forests of Spain's Guadarrama mountains.

"Cull pollies not sharks" urged one of the placards waved by the thousands of protesters who rallied at the weekend.

A man filming his diving expedition in Northland caught more than crayfish when he came face to face with a pod of orcas.

Do badly behaved dogs start out that way or are they are helped along by their owners? Animal behaviour expert Sally Hibbard tackles the question.

If there was ever a reason not to be nosey, then this video is it. And if you happen to be an arachnophobe, the scenes here are the stuff of your darkest nightmares.

A horse spooked by New Year's Eve fireworks in the Bay of Islands has died from a horrific leg injury.

Bessie is a 9-month-old whippet who was rescued after being thrown from a car.

A giant python has suffocated and killed a security guard at a luxury beachfront hotel on the holiday island of Bali, Indonesia.

As the old Italian proverb goes, happy is the home with at least one cat.

Australia is following a scheme introduced in NZ to decide which wildlife should be allowed to die off