Latest from Pets & Animals

Is stress killing bee colonies?
The sharp decline in honeybees has been linked to changes in foraging behaviour brought on by stress, a study has found.

Talk to the Animals: What's the deal with designer dogs?
The latest fashion in dogs is 'designer' cross breeds with the resulting canine creations becoming incredibly popular. Think schnoodle or chorkie. Sally Hibbard investigates the trend.

White-tails take over Auckland home
"I can't sleep at night because I'm scared a white-tail spider's going to sting me, or bite me." An Auckland family has had enough of spider bites.

Surfer killed by a shark a 'great guy'
'It went whack and he was thrown in the air.' A Japanese surfer killed yesterday when both his legs were bitten off by a shark was a 'great guy', friends say.

Grapes spark redback alert
A West Auckland woman believes she may have inadvertently brought an Australian redback spider into her home.

Cathy Casey: Off-leash shouldn't mean out of control
Parks and beaches are great places for dogs to romp around, but they are not a free-for-all, says Cathy Casey.

Killer shark bit both legs off
“He lost both his legs," says a local after a killer shark apparently came out of nowhere and attacked a man off a NSW beach.

Worm erupts from spider
A shocked Australian resident filmed the disgusting spectacle of a writhing worm emerging from a dead spider after it was sprayed with insecticide.

'No breach' after wall falls on monkeys
No animals have escaped from their enclosures at Auckland Zoo, despite earlier reports of a containment breach.

Dolphin sanctuary on line
Auckland councillors have been bombarded with more than 200,000 emails urging them to oppose the latest proposed oil exploration plan.

Redback find worries pest control man
A Rotorua pest control expert hopes he won't come across any more highly dangerous spiders after the discovery of a female redback in a garden.

Jonathan Wilcken and Karen Fifield: Zoos in it for good of the animals
The criticism over the inability to replicate the wild in zoos is misplaced. It’s a cruel world out there, but we can help, write Jonathan Wilcken and Karen Fifield.

Lion Man hits back at critics
A war of words has broken out between big cat conservationists, with Lion Man Craig Busch hitting back at South African critics who claimed he abused his animals.

Inside the 2015 Puppy Bowl
For the 11th year, Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl showcases the athletic talents of adorable puppies.

Is it a doxbull or a pitwee?
It may look like a Photoshop effort, but Rami the dog really does have the head of a pit bull and the body of a dachshund.

Allison Benedikt: If you're having a baby, don't get a dog
When I first met Velvel, he was peeking out from a cardboard box in the back seat of my boyfriend’s Saturn wagon.

Supermarket cards aid SPCA
They're small, come in sets of four and are a proven success with the kids. Countdown is launching its new collection of Super Animals collectable sound cards today.

Talk to the Animals: Why do people hoard animals?
At what point does an individual go from pet enthusiast to 'animal hoarder'? Animal behaviour expert Sally Hibbard investigates.

Owner shocked after his buried 'dead' cat returns from the grave
A US cat owner has been left baffled after he claimed his "dead" pet turned up five days after being buried.

21 days to get rid of 22 cats
'The time has come for reality to sink in,' said a judge as he ordered an Invercargill woman to dispose of 22 of cats.

Claws out over Lion Man's new park
"He wants to promote himself, make money out of it at the cost of the animals." The Lion Man's shift to South Africa has upset the conservation community there.

Talk to the Animals: Put a stop to chained dogs
What I find most frustrating about the all too common practice of chaining up dogs for months and even years on end is the pointlessness of it.

Invercargill 'cat lady' denies charges
An Invercargill woman went to great lengths to hide her face yesterday during a court hearing over the 25 cats she keeps on her property.

Mandy Carter: Animals deserve a life free of bars
Most animal species in zoos are not endangered and are merely kept for public entertainment and zoo profit, writes Mandy Carter.

SPCA boss in hot water
The executive director of SPCA Auckland has stood by his comments that ethnicity plays a part in the high number of dog attack convictions in South Auckland.

Video of shark death sparks outrage
A commercial fisherman who posted a video online of himself killing a shark with a piece of railway iron has been sacked for his actions.

Man sentenced after he punched, kicked cow
A Reefton man who punched and kicked a cow at the Cape Foulwind dairy farm where he worked has been sentenced to community detention and community work.

30 years of underwater wonder
The king penguins huddle together, protecting their eggs from the cold, as others waddle across the ice into the water.