It has been third time lucky for the owners of a cat who had given up their pet for dead after he disappeared for eight months on Waiheke Island.

More than 150 posties have been attacked by dogs in one year while delivering mail across New Zealand.

Around the world, attitudes to pets vary widely. In this country it can be something of a surprise when dogs appear in the cabin.

Auckland SPCA is overrun with rabbits. The organisation is hunting for homes for more than 40 rabbits - and staff say it's a great time to adopt.

While sharks are usually feared more for their fangs, researchers have captured video footage of thresher sharks which use their tails as a weapon to stun or kill prey.

Two people have admitted to selling rock lobster gathered with authorisation for whanau gatherings.

A senior investigator says illegal ivory trading is increasing in New Zealand, as a retiree becomes the first person convicted of ivory trading under NZ law.

Two celebrity travellers were allowed to have their French bulldogs keep them company on an Air New Zealand flight because they were providing a "psychiatric service''.

Two canine travellers caused a stir on a 10-hour international flight after Air New Zealand let the French bulldogs sit at the feet of their celebrity owners.

Attacks on guide dogs by out-of-control canines have increased this year, leaving owners and animals injured and distressed.

A kind stranger has stepped in to help a family after their miniature horse was mauled to death by a roving dog.

An Australian desert-dwelling parrot which hops like a kangaroo and hasn't been seen alive for more than a century has tongues wagging in the ornithological world.

Danielle Wright takes a look underneath the sea at the Auckland War Memorial Museum's Moana - My Ocean exhibition.

Rules to protect the endangered Hector's dolphin from set nets in Akaroa Harbour may not go far enough, new research suggests.

Ten horses were left to starve on lawyer Barry Hart's property after it was seized by the bank, leaving at least two in an emaciated state.

Throwing a stick for your dog to fetch is dangerous and should be banned, veterinary experts have warned.

The world's top dolphin scientists have urged the New Zealand government to act now to protect the Maui's dolphin marine environment or risk the species being extinct in 20 years.

A beloved miniature pony has died after it was rescued from a rampaging dog by two men wielding planks of wood to subdue the crossbreed.

A large seabird, more used to the big blue ocean than wide green paddocks, ended up on a Taranaki farm at the weekend.

Kiwis spend $1.6 billion on their pets annually. We pamper our pooches more than our grandparents ever could have imagined.