SPCA Auckland had more than 2500 volunteers last year, and here's why some of them do it.

A giant squid made its way into Japan's Toyama Bay on Christmas Eve, treating onlookers to a rare sighting of the magnificent creature.

One in five pet owners say they don't have a limit on what they would pay for a major operation before considering euthanising their beloved animal.

The police dog that went bush for a week earlier this year is prepped and ready for another year on the force.

Watch this cheeky sheep ramming his owner's car door a day after the vehicle returned from the panel beaters.

This year, SPCA Auckland took in 11,000 animals - and of the 82 received in the past few days, 71 of those were kittens.

Every day over summer, the SPCA Auckland responds to about a dozen calls regarding dogs locked in cars that are quickly overheating.

A koala was feeling a little thirsty after being rescued from a bushfire in southern Australia

A shark has been filmed swimming and cavorting in the shallows at Papamoa beach

Eight ducklings were rescued by the fire service after getting trapped down a drain.

Heartwarming images from an international photo competition of children with animals.

Furry surfers of all shapes and sizes have grabbed their boards and hit the beach to take part in the annual Surf City Surf Dog Competition.

An Auckland man has placed an ad on Trade Me offering a reward of $500 for the return of a missing magpie named Piper.

A public, and at times nasty, tug-of-love battle over an adored pedigree cat has come to an end with a court order.

Humans haven't seen a living short-nosed sea snake in 15 years, but there they were, two such snakes swimming along in the waters of Western Australia.

What's your initial reaction: "That's adorable" or "The person who did this needs to be locked up"?

Temba, a male chimp at Wellington Zoo, died on Saturday night after a fight with the alpha male of the group.

A close-up snap of a blue shark has been posted online after its apparent capture in the Bay of Plenty.

In the years since the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011, Alaa Aljaleel has become his hometown's unofficial feline caretaker.

A dog sparked a fight between two women on a beach which led to the alleged attacker facing criminal charges.

A woman has been prosecuted after a dog she was supposed to look after suffered "pain and distress" for 10 weeks, the SPCA said today.

Pandas don't want no scrubs. They have a higher success rate of having cubs if they are coupled with a bear they love.

It's a bad time of year to be a turkey. But one bird was determined not to be a Christmas dinner and escaped from his farm three times in a week.

AMAZING PHOTO: Whatever you do, don't open that door!

It's doggy dental time and the results of a unique trial have pointed strongly to a way to achieve good dental health - raw bones.

Thinking your pets should join you in your vegetarianism? Think again.

A curious cat has taken centre stage in a family photo.

Woman mauled by three Irish wolfhounds on the terrifying moment she thought she was going to die.

Auckland is on the brink of "explosion" in red-eared slider turtles. A pest regarded as one of the world's 100 most-invasive species.