Larger than normal rats - some the size of kittens - are being reported following a long dry spell that has caused a population boom.

Nakuru the giraffe spent nearly six days in a box as she crossed the Tasman by sea to find her new home in Melbourne.

Christchurch's Orana Wildlife Park has welcomed two new South African girls. The arrival of two-year-old Lusi and three-year-old Kiana take the park's cheetah population to 13.

A three-metre tall giraffe bound for Australia from New Zealand has been caught up in the search for a solo sailor in rough seas off Victoria's far east coast.

A Taranaki sharemilker says an outbreak of facial eczema is hitting cows hard and fast.

For a group of young people on a night out in Napier last weekend a 14-week-old kitten was the perfect target for violence.

It has been 50 years since Northland brown kiwi could be heard foraging on the forest floor of the Brynderwyn Hills, crying to one another at dusk and dawn.

Franklin Zoo keeper Helen Schofield failed to follow her own safety guidelines on the day she was killed by an elephant in its enclosure, a coroner has found.

A man has been kicked by a calf while trying to help it and the blow sent a 55-year-old man tumbling 10 metres down a bank.

Pet owners are being warned that identity microchips in their precious animals may be faulty after flaws were detected in more than 1,000 chips.

Human error put a Hamilton Zoo keeper at risk from a female tiger, an investigation by the Ministry of Primary Industries has found.

In June last year, Maxwel Johnson beat his one-year-old dog so severely the dog lost an eye, several teeth, and suffered a broken jaw.

A puppy rescued by a Whangarei SPCA worker is now saving lives by sniffing out explosives in some of the world's war-torn danger spots.

A new New Zealand lost pet service is looking to tap into the power of social media.

For Chuck and Yardley, the explosive-sniffing dogs of Bamiyan, nothing could be more fun than discovering a bomb on the side of the road.

A colony of Antarctic penguins could be excused for feeling like climate change's big winners.

Animal Planet wants to help you tap into your inner wild. That's the message as the channel - broadcast here via Sky Television - unveils 11 new shows along with 20 returning favourites in the season ahead.

He's not milking his fame, but Ryan Gosling is lending his name to the cause of cows