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)

ABC's “Jimmy Kimmel Live” features a week of guest hosts filling in for Jimmy, starting Monday, October 30, 2017. The guest host for Thursday, November 2 was Jennifer Lawrence with guest Kim Kardashian West (KKW Beauty) and musical guest Linkin Bridge. (Randy Holmes/ABC via Getty Images)

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Miss Italia 2008 Miriam Leone appear on “Porta a Porta” in Rome, Italy on September 15, 2008. (Photo by WENN)

Eli Hanneman of Hawaii surfs in Heat 2 of the Round of 64 at the Ballito Pro on July 3, 2023 at Ballito, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. (Photo by Pierre Tostee/World Surf League via Getty Images)

In this Sunday, August 5, 2012 file photo South Africa's Oscar Pistorius starts in the men's semi-finals of the 400-meter in the Olympic Stadium at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London. Pistorius could be granted parole on Friday, Nov. 24, 2023 after nearly 10 years in prison for killing his girlfriend. The double-amputee Olympic runner was convicted of a charge comparable to third-degree murder for shooting Reeva Steenkamp in his home in 2013. He has been in prison since late 2014. (Photo by Anja Niedringhaus/AP Photo)

People pose for photos in front of an old Korail train on the disused Gyeonghwa Station railway track during the Jinhae Cherry Blossom Festival in Changwon on March 31, 2024, around 311 kilometres southeast of Seoul. The annual festival has been running since 1952. (Photo by Anthony Wallace/AFP Photo)

A drone view of fishermen unloading fish caught in a net during the sardine run in Scottburgh, South Africa, on June 12, 2024. (Photo by Rogan Ward/Reuters)

Kim Tae-yeon holds a national flag while waiting for a parade to celebrate the country's National Foundation Day in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, October 3, 2024. (Photo by Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo)