Latest fromPets & Animals

Cat case heads to tribunal
After the cat's disappearance, Quah launched a desperate campaign to find her pet.

Milestone reached as new kiwi released
Auckland Zoo has released its 300th captivity-bred Kiwi on to Rotoroa Island.

Greg Dixon: Why we need to panda to the masses
The Prime Minister wants to bring giant pandas to New Zealand. Greg Dixon asks why stop there?

Strange but true: World's ugliest rodent
A team of researchers discovered the hog-nosed rat during a expedition in a remote and mountainous area of Indonesia two years ago.

1.8m fence kept tiger from public
Hamilton Zoo keeper had near-miss while giving tiger talk two years ago, sparking new questions about mauling death last month.

Farmer jailed for ill-treatment of cows
Michael James Whitelock, 28, shot one cow in the leg, dumped another cow still alive in an offal pit, and broke the tails of hundreds of others.

Iconic mag covers gone to the dogs
A charity group has recreated iconic magazine covers with homeless dogs in the hope of attracting new homes for the animals.

5 of the best: Miniature food videos
Videos of tiny food tutorials, often featuring tiny animals, are taking over YouTube. Here we've handpicked five of our favourites for your Thursday afternoon.

Orca at play in the Gulf
The folks at Swift Plumbing sent nzherald.co.nz this video of Orca visiting them in the Gulf, they make some great use of Go-pro cameras to film them underwater.

Sneezing monkey blows its cover
200 new species have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas in the past five years.

Rags to riches for (almost) famous cat
A historic mansion that's hosted politicians, royalty and academics has been taken over by a new kind of pedigree - a semi-celebrity cat.

Famous faces get behind native birds
Some well known New Zealanders are championing their favourite native bird in Forest & Bird's annual Bird of the Year competition.

Pandas to be cloned to avoid extinction
It is notoriously difficult to get pandas to mate, so cloning might be the next best option.

Editorial: Key's critics miss point - pandas will be for all
Every time the Prime Minister tries to advance something that does not address one of the country's more pressing problems, he is harangued.

Meet the world's only ant-sniffing dog
Rhys Jones, a springer spaniel, has learned to sniff out Argentine ants which are unwelcome invaders in the Hauraki Gulf.

Steve Braunias' Secret Diary of Gerry Brownlee
Another visit to Chengdu, the giant panda breeding research base. We had a nice cuddle. She's really taken a shine to me.

Brian Rudman: Don't waste takahe's cash on panda porn
The Department of Conservation is grossly under-funded and is expected to seek sponsors and volunteers to assist it in its vital work, writes Brian Rudman.

Key didn't know about panda run
Prime Minister says he is unaware Gerry Brownlee is hand-delivering proposal to bring giant pandas to New Zealand to a breeding facility in China.

'Quirky' list of NZ pet insurance claims released
Anthony McPhail, head of Southern Cross Pet Insurance, said the business had paid out more than $3 million on 10,000 claims over the past year.

League boss's dog shame
Rugby league manager told an SPCA inspector he was "too busy" with his team to deal with his dog after it was found unconscious on the road.

Sanctuary for ocean jewels
The waters around the Kermadec Islands to the north of New Zealand will become one of the largest ocean sanctuaries in the world, John Key announced.

2015 Kereru Count most successful yet
As the week-long nationwide survey closed last night, a total 8,743 Kereru were spotted and recorded, topping last year's total 7,101.

Quest to pinpoint every kiwi sighting
New Zealanders are being called upon to help save our national icon by reporting kiwi sightings to conservationists.

Shark bites seven-year-old in Queensland
Swimmers spotted a shark moments after a seven-year-old girl was bitten in shallow waters in north Queensland.

Mourners pack service for killed zoo keeper
Samantha Kudeweh, zoo keeper fatally mauled by a tiger, has been remembered as a "passionate" and witty person.

Incredibly lost seal resists arrest
It may have had problems adjusting its internal GPS, but a seal found on a farm in Waikato had enough gas in the tank to give the police the runaround.

North Island robin no bird-brain
The tiny native bird, which is only slightly larger than a house sparrow, features in a new study in the leading scientific journal Animal Behaviour

Alarming death toll from snakes
Antivenom supplies are under threat and health organisations are struggling to cope.

Kiwi projects to receive new funding
The Conservation Minister says $226,000 will be spent on three kiwi projects aimed at helping Kiwi thrive in the wild.