An actual party animal has become a worldwide sensation after his night out with a bunch of French revellers went viral.

More Aucklanders than ever were bitten, butted and bruised by dogs last year as record levels of claims for dog-inflicted injuries were reported.

The owner of a horse that lost litres of blood after being frightened by the neighbours' fireworks is calling on people to think about pets this Guy Fawkes' night.

Jemaal Large and Jason Godsiff waited until after dark, took galvanised steel pipes from their vehicles and bludgeoned 23 seals to death by inflicting crushed skulls and open wounds on them.

A 90-year-old woman was knocked to the ground by two dogs, which then ripped her miniature Yorkshire terrier from her arms and mauled it to death in front of her.

Driving dog Monty is heading for the big screen.

Exotic dung beetles cleared for release in New Zealand could become flying "faecal bombs", says a review of belated research into health risks from the insects.

A 43-year-old beekeeper went into "venom overload" after he was stung up to 50 times on the head and neck by a swarm of bees.

The second man convicted for his part in beating 23 fur seals to death on the Kaikoura Coast has been sentenced to eight months' home detention.

One of two oarfish found in California waters earlier this month had a host of parasites living in its giant, serpent-like body.

Solving problems isn't exclusively human but working out how animals do it is tricky, writes Clint J. Perry.

Indonesia's capital is getting rid of the monkey business. Security forces are conducting raids to rescue macaques used in masked monkey performances on Jakarta's streets.

Game over. Cats have won the internet. At least that was the conclusion among the many attendees of the internet Cat Video Festival.

People who farm unusual breeds tell Dionne Christian why they find it so appealing.

A Canterbury school is mourning the loss of a "devoted and passionate" teacher who was accidentally run over and killed by her husband last night.

Did the cat come back? Mid-Canterbury's elusive black panther may have moved south, with a new sighting of a cat-like animal feasting on road kill.

A British scientist says he may have solved the mystery of the Abominable Snowman - the elusive ape-like creature of the Himalayas. He thinks it's a bear.

A bid to bring back kiwis to a Northland forest has delivered something to celebrate just in time for a national fundraising campaign.

Efforts to save a kiwi injured when it was hit by a car north of Gisborne last week have failed.

The owner of two rottweilers that allegedly mauled an 8-year-old Christchurch boy has been remanded for two weeks without plea.