A million fish have used Europe's biggest fish ladder in the Elbe river near Hamburg since it opened in summer 2010 to migrate from the North Sea past a dam and power station to spawning waters upstream.
Over 800 non-native plant and animal species have settled in Germany over the past few decades, while several species which disappeared long ago are returning home, according to the Federal Office for Nature Conservation (Bfn).
Dairy cows in Germany are producing more milk than ever before, with each cow delivering more than 8,000 litres a year, new figures show. Yet this is due to more intensive farming methods, animal welfare campaigners warn.
The amazing defensive chemical make-up of Asian ladybirds which enables them to dominate European species could be used to fight malaria and TB in humans, a German scientist says.
Two brown bears housed in a compound in the centre of Berlin could soon be moved to a proper wild animal park - and were the focus of an animal rights' protest on Tuesday.
A pack of wolves has settled near Berlin and has become well established enough to have cubs. Researchers caught them on camera, just 25 kilometres from the capital.
A man who opened a compost bin to chuck in some rubbish found a large rabbit looking at him - its owner had thrown it away, claiming she thought it was dead. Animal protection officers in Saxony are now investigating.
A 120-kilo (265-pound) wild boar attacked and injured four people on Monday in Berlin, the German capital's police force said. Examination of its body showed it had a broken leg.
Berlin Zoo on Wednesday unveiled a bronze memorial to Knut the polar bear, who captured hearts worldwide when he was raised by hand – and left fans devastated when he died from a suspected brain seizure last March.
A vigilante pigeon killer has regained his license to capture and kill the birds, after a court ruled local authorities had imposed unreasonable restrictions on his activities.
New animal welfare laws ruling out piglet castration without anaesthetic could soon leave pork meat with a musky smell, prompting a scientific scramble to prevent stinky schnitzel and sausages.
Three kangaroos staged a daring escape from a wildlife park near Frankfurt by going under rather than over the fences - thanks to the work of fox and wild boar accomplices.
A German man has been banned from tattooing a 15-centimetre Rolling Stones “tongue” logo onto his pony. He had planned to use it as an advert for a pet tattoo business.
The number of town pigeons in Germany’s towns and cities has fallen dramatically over the past decade, with the Berlin population down by two thirds from its 2001 level.
The head of a German coastal fishing association failed to make many friends by calling for thousands of seals to be shot to conserve fish stocks in the North Sea. Conservationists were outraged, while politicians rejected the proposal.
The fashion in pug dogs, long a favourite in Germany, is happily granting the new generations of the little canines longer legs and noses, making their lives easier, breeders say.
Police sealed off a Bavarian lake over the weekend after a sighting of what could be a crocodile – and then sent in divers to see if they could find it. A night-time hunt was being planned for Monday.
A group of German posties began dog defence classes this week, as part of a post office initiative to make delivering letters less stressful and reduce the injuries caused each year by territorial terriers and aggressive Alsatians.
German researchers have discovered that male members of a species of tropical ant act as "contract" killers. Scientists found that male ants daub young rivals with a chemical scent which induces a murderous rage in gangs of workers.
German police called to a break-in had to deal with a runaway cow rather than robbers, after the bolshie bovine jumped through a window and landed in an old woman’s kitchen.
