Latest from Animal Welfare

Govt urged to act by world's top dolphin scientists

The world's top dolphin scientists have urged the New Zealand government to act now to protect the Maui's dolphin marine environment or risk the species being extinct in 20 years.

Two face court over goat cruelty

A Bay of Plenty man charged with animal cruelty after black swans were allegedly mowed down by a jet boat is also accused of filming a juvenile goat being thrown into the air and shot.

Christmas Day sheep killing 'inhumane'

A man who told police he thought "lamb chops on the barbecue would be nice" has been convicted of wilfully ill-treating two sheep he killed at a farm on Christmas Day.

Accused swan killer wins bid to keep identity secret

Battery cage plan extension proposed

The group responsible for phasing out battery chicken cages within a decade has bowed to industry pressure and proposed extending the timetable.

Cat that cheated death heads off to new life

Some animal testing inevitable

SPCA head and staunch animal welfare advocate Bob Kerridge admits that some animal testing will be required as part of a new regime which is designed to prove the safety of party pills and synthetic cannabis.

Cat abandoned and left for dead - and still nobody wants her

Is the Govt going far enough?

A long-awaited threat management plan for Maui's dolphins is to be announced next month - but one MP has questioned whether the Government is going far enough to protect the critically endangered species.

Cathy Casey: Lazy owners send dogs to their deaths

Muzzled and waiting in a sterile room for the vet's lethal injection, this was the last sight that 3338 dogs in Auckland saw.

Dairy company fined $40k for underfeeding animals

Drones fly into war on poaching

Circling 180m above the ground, its thermal camera trained on the scrubland below, the drone silently watches for its target.

Third penguin mauled by dog

Editorial: Recreational drug control a world first

Editorial: Campaigners for the legalisation of cannabis must be watching with interest. While the law would apply only to synthetic equivalents, it might be hard to deny the same tests to naturally grown leaf.

Beagles tug heartstrings in animal welfare protest

MPs and animal welfare activists have attempted to pull Parliament's heartstrings by recruiting a pack of photogenic beagles in a protest against the possible testing of party pills on animals.

Greens plan own hearings on animal testing for drugs

The Green Party will increase pressure on the Government to rule out testing of synthetic drugs on animals by holdings its own hearings today.

Catriona MacLennan: Review of animal welfare law too timid

New Zealand in 2013 has the opportunity to take a bold step and introduce the best animal welfare laws in the world.

Precious penguins needing better protection

Extending a ban on set net fishing around the Otago Peninsula will stem the deaths of one of the rarest penguin species in the world