Animals

Wild rabbits have been a hugely problematic pest around New Zealand recently, and the problem has come as far as Auckland Domain.

Rabbits breed very quickly and are known for eating grassland to dust… Video, Audio

A proposal to rein in horses roaming a small eastern Bay of Plenty town has some residents gee'd up.

Hoiho have been wandering freely in Ōpōtiki for years, but the council recently proposed stamping… Audio

A study of the psycho-social impact of M.bovis on Southland's rural communities had found the Government's response was bureaucratic, inhumane and traumatising to farmers. The University of Otago… Audio

An Auckland animal sanctuary is preparing to welcome 1-thousand hens who've been saved from the chopping block and need new homes. They will join the three-legged sheep, Peggy, and a very cuddly cow… Audio

A court decision is likely to mean there'll be less of a favourite fish - tarakihi - on our plates in the short term.

The High Court has ruled that sustainability of the fish stock must come before… Audio

Rumours of an illicit rendezvous have reached Checkpoint all the way from Whangārei.

There have been rumours a goose - a gander to be specific - had infiltrated a flock of ducks at Mair Park.

… Video, Audio

Wellington Zoo's closed its kiwi house indefinitely while it investigates what's killed three of the precious birds in its care in the past few months.

Tahi, a one legged kiwi, that had been with the… Video, Audio

The Department of Conservation is reporting its plan to rid New Zealand of rats, stoats and possums by 2050 is well on the way to success.

A five-year progress report shows a substantial increase in… Audio

A good news story now for a bird that was once driven off New Zealand's mainland by introduced pest species. The grey-faced petrel or Northern Muttonbird has returned to the Waitakere Ranges thanks to… Audio

Who doesn't love a Lemur? Nobody, that's who! Harmony Neale is the Primate Team leader at Wellington Zoo - and recently the zoo welcomed a group of ring-tailed lemurs Nathan Rarere asked Harmony where… Audio

A herd of wandering wild elephants has captured the attention of the world - clocking up millions of views online.

They've travelled 500 kilometres through South China over the last year - and are… Audio

Turtles are the fascination of author Louise Pryke, lecturer and honorary research associate at the University of Sydney's Department of Classics and Ancient History. Among the most endangered groups… Audio

A recent study out of Australia showed that about a third of people there would rather spend time with their pets than people, with women more likely to prefer their furry friends to humans. And it's… Audio

Author Simon Garfield's latest book, Dog's Best Friend, draws upon history, science art and the writer's own personal experiences with his black Labrador retriever Ludo, to dissect the enduring… Audio

Philip Armstrong's poetry and Laura Jean McKay's award-winning novel The Animals in That Country feature animals as significant characters. The authors talk at 2020 Word Christchurch. Audio

As the tide rises, rescuers are racing to refloat 40 whales stranded at Farewell Spit, at the top of the South Island.

The long-finned pilot whales were spotted on the beach at 9.30am and a team of… Video, Audio

"I want to look at issues of extinction and infestation, cruelty and conflict. I want us to feel that we are being watched and that stock is being taken. I want us not to get away with it." Those are… Audio, Gallery

Domestic cats appear to hunt less when their diets are richer in animal-sourced protein, according to a newly-released study out of the University of Exeter in England. Professor Robbie McDonald is… Audio

Late last year, we brought you the curious case of 80-year-old Doug Hodgetts and his missing companion, a seven-year-old Jack Russell named Tabatha.

Hodgetts believed his best friend was stolen on… Audio