Animals

Vets are feeling the pressure as a shortage of staff is causing trouble across the industry, and it is heavily impacting staff in the emergency and shelter sector.

RNZ went behind the scenes at… Audio

Now to Dunedin, where an octogenarian spends her days, documenting one of the rarest sea lion species in the world - and even has one named after her.

Janet Ledingham wanders the shores and dunes… Video, Audio

New Zealand's native long-tailed bat, pekapeka-tou-roa, is going strong in Franklin, south of Auckland. But these tiny mammals are threatened by introduced predators, especially cats. Producer Liz… Video, Audio

This week, producer Liz Garton heads out on a bat hunt south of Auckland with batman Ben Paris, and meets some locals working hard to keep their pekapeka neighbours safe. Audio

A northland farmer has described how three of his cattle swam for their lives after 377mm of rainfall fell in  Mangawhai on Friday.

Rodger Bennett has been farming in Hakaru, a settlement between… Audio

The number of farms under attack by a maize and corn eating pest has more than doubled since January.

Forty-five farms reported the fall armyworm on their land in January - that's slowly grown to 119… Audio

While Civil Defence and volunteers are sorting through the destruction caused by Cyclone Gabrielle, some amazing tales of survival are starting to come through. And some of these rescues involve pets… Audio

After a noisy night-time entrance through the cat flap, a young owl has made itself at home with South Canterbury man Rory Foley and his cat. "He seems very happy with me, he seems very safe. And I… Video, Audio

Sydney-based New Zealander Dr Matt Baker returns for a chat about some of the latest science news. This week: how bacteria can fix their own flagellar motors when times get tough, and how feasible is… Audio

Animals have also been left homeless and shaken during Cyclone Gabrielle. To find out how they're being helped we visited HUHA at their temporary base at the Dog Exhibition Centre in South Auckland… Audio

Fernhill residents in Hawkes Bay John and Penny Pearce have been desperately trying to get the animals off their property, including dozens of sheep and horses. Audio

Today on The Panel, Wallace and panellists Johny O Donnell and Cindy Mitchener speak to a farmer in Fernhill and MetService on what to expect in the coming days. 

Plus our panellists tell us what has… Audio

This week's critter is te mokomoko a Tohu - an elusive gecko only named by science in January this year. Te mokomoko a Tohu is a large gecko native to Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka-a-Maui, the Marlborough… Audio

For the last month, a team has been tracking long-tailed bats at Te Hoiere / Pelorus between Nelson and Blenheim.

The long-tailed bat or pekapeka-tou-roa was declared "Bird of the Year" in 2021 and… Audio

Back home now where floodwaters in Auckland have receded, but there is a sting in the tail. We're talking about mosquitoes. Tamaki Makaurau is humming with them since the floods. So, we asked… Audio

Mystery surrounds the discovery of weka in Taranaki, where the protected native bird has been extinct since the 1930s.

Adding to the intrigue, the Department of Conservation is worried the voracious… Audio

Investigators are trying to work out what caused a barn fire at a Waikato egg farm which killed 50,000 hens.

Two of the twelve barns at the Zeagold farm in Orini, were destroyed in the blaze and vets… Audio