A dramatic rise in owning exotic pets in China is fuelling global demand for threatened species. The growing trade in alligators, snakes, monkeys, crocodiles and spiders is directly linked to species loss in some of the world’s most threatened ecosystems. Here: A fennec fox (Vulpes zerda) is groomed in a pet store in central Beijing. Native to the Sahara in North Africa, the species became a popular pet after being depicted as a character in Disney’s 2016 animated movie Zootopia. Individuals can cost between $2,000–$3,000. (Photo by Sean Gallagher/The Guardian)

British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, Cambridge University Professor and Fellow, circa 1985. Stephen Hawking, the brightest star in the firmament of science, whose insights shaped modern cosmology and inspired global audiences in the millions, has died aged 76. (Photo by Gemma Levine/Getty Images)

An ethnic Lisu man dances barefoot on hot charcoal embers to celebrate the annual Knife Pole Festival in Luzhang township of Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan province, China, March 29, 2018. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

Health workers in personal protective equipments (PPE) carrying Covid-19 coronavirus testing swabs and tubes are seen on bicycles along a street in Beijing on November 24, 2022. (Photo by Jade Gao/AFP Photo)

A reveler celebrates New Year's Eve in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 31, 2022. (Photo by Hasnoor Hussain/Reuters)

Sydney Peng, 19, who has been dancing for eleven years, performs a Chinese opera dance in celebration of the Lunar New Year, in the rotunda of the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn., on Sunday, January 22, 2023. (Photo by Richard Tsong-Taatariii/Star Tribune via AP Photo)

The drag troupe Dabber Dolls, arriving in Glasgow Central station on September 21, 2022 for their first tour of Mecca Bingo halls, are joined by a Scottish fan. (Photo by Robert Perry/The Guardian)

Revellers hit the town on Saturday, February 19, 2022 for a pub crawl despite the snow in Leeds, United Kingdom. The UK capital was placed under its first ever “red” weather warning, meaning there is “danger to life”. The same level of alert was in place across southern England and South Wales, where schools were closed and transport paralysed. (Photo by Nb press ltd)