Lifestyle block animals

Healthy goats have good appetites, glossy coats, clear, bright eyes, and are interested in everything around them.

Pigs are social and intelligent animals. They are a sub-species of the wild boar, and can live up to 15 years! Before you decide to care for pigs, it is important to consider whether you have the time, resources, and knowledge, as well as the right environment to care for your pigs properly.

Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease, also known as Rabbit Calicivirus Disease, is caused by Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus (RHDV) is a highly contagious, usually fatal disease that can affect all domestic and wild rabbits.

Across New Zealand, roosters often find themselves stigmatised for their distinct crow and overlooked in favour of their egg-producing female counterparts, hens.

While ducks can make great companions, they are also a serious commitment. Before you decide to care for ducks, it is important to consider whether you have the time, resources, and knowledge, as well as the right environment to care for your ducks properly.

Male deer (stags) grow and shed antlers each year. ‘Velvet antler’ refers to antlers that are still growing – during this stage, they are covered with a velvet-like covering of soft fine hair. While growing, velvet antler receives a full blood supply and contains nerve endings. In New Zealand, deer velvet is surgically removed from farmed red deer (wapiti) and is sold as a health supplement or traditional medicine and often exported.

When the ban on livestock export by sea finally came into effect in April 2023 after decades of campaigning, people in New Zealand and around the world celebrated this significant milestone for animals. However, the Government and animal export industry representatives have been discussing bringing this cruelty back – this time under so-called ‘gold standard’ conditions. What does this mean, and why won’t it work?

While the live export industry can be secretive about conditions on-board, we can get glimpses of what it was like from brave veterinarians, Official Information Act releases, academic papers and government standards. Read on for more information and photos from New Zealand live export’s recent past. Warning: it doesn’t paint a pleasant picture.

Goats are ruminant herbivores and differ from sheep and cattle in that goats are browsers.

It is best to get your goat used to being handled from a young age, so future visits from the veterinarian or other people is not stressful. At all times, goats should be handled quietly, gently and confidently. Goats will quickly become habituated to your presence and will actively seek out positive interactions with you, when treated kindly and in a positive manner.