Latest fromPets & Animals
![Are ewe joking? Shearers short of sheep](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Are ewe joking? Shearers short of sheep
A shortage of sheep north of Auckland has placed Kaikohe's shearing competition under pressure - but organisers are confident they can make it click.
![Beach cleared by aggresive sea lion](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Beach cleared by aggresive sea lion
A sea lion's aggressive behaviour forced about 40 swimmers to retreat from the water at St Kilda Beach yesterday afternoon.
![Post-Christmas treat for the lions](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Post-Christmas treat for the lions
If your not sure what to do with your leftover Christmas tree a zoo in England has come up with a unique solution - throw them to the lions.
![Orphaned pets: Whitey the hen](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Orphaned pets: Whitey the hen
Whitey the hen is especially fond of bananas. Last year Whitey joined Lompie the rooster, Panda the cat and Gustav the sheep at Bianca Hill's lifestyle block in Flat Bush, Manukau.
![Alarm sounds for native wildlife](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Alarm sounds for native wildlife
Losing our native species is not an inevitability but a choice - and one that could hurt New Zealand in more ways than we realise.
![Orphaned pets: Juno](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Orphaned pets: Juno
Five months ago, Juno came home from the SPCA to join Gerard and Liz Buckley and their two cats, Charlotte and Zeus.
![Picks of 2014: Guy Williams](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Picks of 2014: Guy Williams
This is a true underdog story, a young brother and sister duo from the foothills of Richmond.
![Watch out for pests this summer](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Watch out for pests this summer
It's party time for pests, and some holidaymakers are returning to find uninvited, hungry house-sitters lurking at home.
![When our pets bite back](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
When our pets bite back
New figures show ACC paid $49.1 million in compensation for more than 107,000 animal-related incidents in the past two years.
![Hippo 'jumps' from truck](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Hippo 'jumps' from truck
A hippopotamus was left lying injured on the side of the road for hours after making a panicked jump from a truck in Taiwan.
![The 're-wilding' of Angkor Wat](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
The 're-wilding' of Angkor Wat
Conservationists have reintroduced the gibbons as part of an ambitious project for the "re-wilding" of Angkor Wat, a vast "temple city" that was once surrounded by forests.
![Endangered leopards thriving in minefields](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Endangered leopards thriving in minefields
The mine-strewn border between Iran and Iraq has become an unlikely sanctuary for one of the world's most endangered species of leopard.
![Orphaned Pets: Happiness is a new home](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Orphaned Pets: Happiness is a new home
Smokey the goat was never a likely best friend for Madelaine Young's retriever poodle, Teddy.
![22 sheep packed in van 'like sardines'](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
22 sheep packed in van 'like sardines'
Two youths have been charged after police found 22 sheep crammed in a van in Gisborne this morning.
![Bug named after Sir David](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Bug named after Sir David
A newly discovered beetle has been named after television naturalist Sir David Attenborough.
![Talk to the Animals: 5 of NZ's worst animal invasions](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Talk to the Animals: 5 of NZ's worst animal invasions
There are aliens living amongst us, not little green men but foreign animal species from ecosystems far away, writes Sally Hibbard.
![Orangutan granted legal rights in Argentina](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Orangutan granted legal rights in Argentina
An Argentine court has granted "habeas corpus" to a female orangutan at the Buenos Aires Zoo and recognised basic rights for her as a "non-human individual" to live in semi-freedom with other large primates.
![Rescue an 'owl-ing success'](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Rescue an 'owl-ing success'
A rare native bird has been released back into the wild a month on from a stormy rescue by a Hamilton police officer.
!['Harrowing' neglect: cats imprisoned](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
'Harrowing' neglect: cats imprisoned
An Auckland woman who kept 50 cats living in disgusting conditions with serious infections and ailments has been sentenced for her neglect.
![Here kitty: Officer saves trapped kitten](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Here kitty: Officer saves trapped kitten
The firefighter who rescued a kitten trapped in the dashboard of a Tauranga car has been described as the "finest cat whisperer".
![Tears over stolen guinea pigs](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Tears over stolen guinea pigs
Tears have flowed at a Mosgiel kindergarten the week before Christmas after thieves stole two guinea pigs, beloved pets for five years.
![Fightback after years of exploitation](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Fightback after years of exploitation
In the long story of the Hauraki Gulf, humans have been in the picture for mere moments.
![Talk to the Animals: Wigs for dogs and other weird animal services](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Talk to the Animals: Wigs for dogs and other weird animal services
There is an astonishing array of goods and services available for pets. With some trepidation, Sally Hibbard set out to find the strangest of them.
![Teen killed in Queensland shark attack](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Teen killed in Queensland shark attack
A far north Queensland community is grieving the death of an 18-year-old man who was attacked by a shark in front of shocked friends.
![Actress sued for riding horse](/pf/resources/images/placeholders/placeholder_l.png?d=871)
Actress sued for riding horse
For those who didn’t know, Zooey Deschanel is an enthusiastic equestrian, who has competed in numerous competitions.