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)

Russia' s President Vladimir Putin (L) congratulates prizewinners at the 2018 Youth Judo Tournament dedicated to Soviet and Russian judo coach Anatoly Rakhlin, and held at St Petersburg' s Yubileyny Palace of Sports in St Petersburg, Russia on May 23, 2018. (Photo by Mikhail Metzel/TASS)

Pablo Picasso, famed 66-year-old Spanish artist who has lived most of his life in France, suns himself on a boat on the beach at Golfe Juan in Vallauris on the French Riviera on March 10, 1948. Entering a new period in his varied artistic career, Picasso has turned to painting pottery at the nearby town of Vallauris. (Photo by AP Photo)

A member of the Pakistani Anti-Narcotic Force (ANF) takes a selfie beside a pile of burning drugs and liquor during a ceremony at the Kacha Ghari army firing range, on the outskirts of Peshawar on October 16, 2018, after the contraband was seized in raids across the province. (Photo by Abdul Majeed/AFP Photo)

A girl runs from waves crashing over the promenade on December 24, 2015 in Blackpool, England. The Met Office is warning of 80mph winds and torrential downpours over the Christmas holidays, as dozens of flood alerts are issued for already devastated regions. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

Budgies feed on seeds from a local visitor's hands at Ocean Park in metro Manila, Philippines September 10, 2016. (Photo by Romeo Ranoco/Reuters)

Women take part in a rally called “March of Whores” to protest against discrimination and violence against women on International Women's Day in Bogota, Colombia, March 8, 2016. (Photo by John Vizcaino/Reuters)

Indonesian women wearing masks as a precaution against the coronavirus outbreak sit at a food stall near a mural in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, September 21, 2020. (Photo by Dita Alangkara/AP Photo)