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.

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

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.

Indy was given to the SPCA after her previous owners moved from a country property to a small central home where there was not enough room for her to play.

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.

Lying flat on the dirt in a Namibian desert, Stephen Belcher was just 30m away from a hunting leopard.

Cado is a playful puppy, full of life and energy and always smiling. He came to the SPCA in mid-2013 and is hoping to have an owner by the time 2014 rolls in.

Wanted: heavy earth-moving equipment to help rescue Princess Jury's "baby" from the mud.

Lying on the floor of a research boat off the coast of South Africa in treacherous waters, NZ photographer Chris McLennan knew he had to stay focused.

A firefighter turned "dog whisperer", the mystery of the South Island black panther and wild otters in Southland all made headlines this year.

Researchers have found the earliest case of cat domestication, along with the first direct evidence of how it may have happened.

These domestic shorthair tabby kittens are playful and loveable. They get along well so would love to be adopted together.

A shark sighting forced lifeguards to close Waihi Beach earlier today.

Dope growers have been blamed for the death of a "beautiful" young kiwi chick that was being monitored by the Department of Conservation.