Latest fromPets & Animals

Meerkats an early Christmas present
Hamilton Zoo have had an early Christmas present this year - four meerkats from Auckland Zoo.

Shark closes Mt Maunganui beach
Lifeguards have closed Mt Maunganui beach after a surfer's close encounter with a shark.

Dog pulls drowned puppies from estuary
A mother dog howled all night after she fished her six dead puppies out of an estuary after they had been dumped in a shopping bag.

Woman seriously hurt in dog attack
A "cowardly" man left a woman bleeding from serious arm injuries after his dog attacked her in Kaiapoi near Christchurch this morning.

ERA awards elephant handler $26,000
An elephant handler was sacked after being told that his charge, Jumbo, was 'lost', only to find she had been given away.

Going to the beach? Keep an eye out for sharks
Warm early summer seas around northern NZ are attracting increasing numbers of sharks.

<i>Wendyl Nissen</i>: Off with Winston's head!
In the end it wasn't very difficult at all. I simply went out to lunch, drank a few glasses of very good champagne and did it.

Why chickens are crossing the highway
For years, families have dropped off chickens that no longer lay or are no longer loved at the State Highway 1 carpark. Now, cars are pulling up for another reason: to kidnap the wild chooks.

Abused puppy gets a new, loving home
The pit bull puppy found in a Tauranga shopping area with his ears chopped off will head to a loving new home today.

100 protected gulls shot dead
The Department of Conservation has condemned the massacre of more than 100 rare gulls found dead in Southland.

Tiritiri Matangi: Sanctuary gone to the birds
Jim Eagles enjoys the company of the rare birds that thrive on Tiritiri Matangi Island.

Shark attack beach re-opens
The Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh is returning to normal this week after a spate of horrific shark attacks.