A woman reacts as she poses with a man dressed up as the Star Wars character Chewbacca outside the Dolby Theatre, the site of the 88th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 26, 2016. (Photo by Adrees Latif/Reuters)

In this Wednesday, June 8, 2016 photo, Joe Giles, an actor portraying a zombie in “The Walking Dead”, poses with social media reporter Danielle Datu during a walker boot camp at Universal Studios Hollywood in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)

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)

Photo taken on September 19, 2015 shows a baby Brazilian opossum at the “Parque Estoril” zoo in Sao Bernardo do Campo of Sao Paulo, Brazil. According to local press, the “Parque Estoril” zoo houses currently 23 orphan cubs of wild animals rescued in the south region of Sao Paulo, victims of illegal wildlife trade or problems caused by urban growth. According to the zoo, all the animals arrived in the last three months, and many of them, not being able to be reintroduced to their natural habitat, will be used as examples in environmental education classes. (Photo by Rahel Patrasso/Xinhua via ZUMA Wire)

An Afghan boy jumps off the turret of a Soviet tank on a hilltop on the the outskirts of Kabul, Sunday, March, 4, 2018. (Photo by Rahmat Gul/AP Photo)

Dancers from Tokyo wearing traditional costumes perform during a celebration event, a day before Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako's royal parade in front of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, Japan November 9, 2019. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)

Members of the special operations team conduct a building climbing training in Qinzhou, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, April 13, 2021. (Photo credit should read Costfoto/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

A local resident performs traditional horse racing during a celebration marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, in northwest China's Qinghai Province, August 4, 2021. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency/Rex Features/Shutterstock)