A farmhand did not face animal cruelty charges because a council wrongly said drowning possums was a humane way to kill them.

A Tauranga family has been reunited with their beloved cat 16 months after it went missing.

A surprise snake slithered out of a vehicle a Auckland car yard, but it wasn't the first serpent this year to make its way past NZ borders.

COMMENT: Catriona MacLennan asks, why does NZ not ban tethering? An outright ban would send a clear message about how goat welfare can best be protected.

As 92-year-old Jim Morgan lay on the ground trying to fight off the stray dog attacking him, all he could think of was protecting his best mate, Sandy.

A family whose beloved purebred dog was stolen turned into super sleuths to track her down, using DNA from one of her puppies.

Three kiwi chicks have arrived at their new home as part of an effort to save a rare species of our national bird.

Joss Stone has cancelled her Caribbean tour dates to be with her poorly dog.

Watch: A group of fishermen in the US were forced to share their catch after a massive shark leapt out of the water for a bite of the fish they had hooked.

Sassy the miniature horse brings Northlanders happiness where ever she trots.

New findings could explain why failures in the control of bed bug infestations are so common.

Some owners will attest that their pet is as placid as any canine breed can be, but that is not saying very much. Many an owner of a normally docile dog knows it is not completely reliable.

Animal rights group says octopus whose escape made headlines around the world was probably going crazy in its tank.

The Duchess of Cambridge is delighted by orphan elephants in India.

Dogs may no longer be able to travel on the back of cars on public roads without being secured under proposed changes to animal welfare rules.

COMMENT: You say your dangerous dog is a teddy bear? I say you're wrong, writes Raybon Kan.

Calls are being made to ban pitbulls following a recent attack, but some owners of the breed think say it's the owner not the dog.

Dogs will be allowed to have the last splash at Memorial Pool before the complex closes its doors for the winter season.

Compared to dogs, cats get a bad rap when it comes to friendliness and approachability. Many a dog lover will try to tell you cats just aren't as loveable.

Children at a South Auckland hospital enjoyed a morning of pet therapy, spending time with cuddly new friends.

What were these kiwi up to one sunny Stewart Island day? We're not exactly sure. One thing we do know - they're out past bedtime.

Caged Chicken Farms - and Auckland's skyline.

WATCH: They don't look like much, but these tiny trap-jaw spiders found only in NZ and southern South America are the Beauden Barretts of the arachnid world.

Bottlenose dolphins could disappear from the Bay of Islands if nothing is done to halt a decline apparently caused by too much interaction, a report warns.

There was too much sun, swimming, eating and zooming about in Jaguars and private helicopters, but Instagram diva Toast the dog took the Hamptons last summer and lived to write about it.

This is how bad rhinoceros poaching has gotten in Africa: Increasingly, people who want to prevent the animals' extinction are relying on airlifts to save them.

Warning: Content may disturb. Animal advocacy activists have released shocking undercover footage from a colony egg farm that shows dead hens rotting in their cages and dying hens trapped beneath perches.

The creature was fatally shot in Florida, after terrorising cattle on a farm.