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)

TV personalities Kendra Wilkinson and Jessica Hall attend the premiere of STX Entertainment's' “Bad Moms” at Mann Village Theatre on July 26, 2016 in Westwood, California. (Photo by Barry King/Getty Images)

Russia's figure skater Alexandra Trusova performs in a show at the CSKA arena in Moscow on February 14, 2023. (Photo by Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP Photo)

A home-made steam train, designed by Pavel Chilin, rides on a make-shift railway across country house neighborhood in the settlement of Ulyanovka in Leningrad region, Russia on November 4, 2019. (Photo by Anton Vaganov/Reuters)

A Rafale fighter jet flies over France's Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier as it makes its way in the Gulf, January 28, 2016. (Photo by Philippe Wojazer/Reuters)

Takamoto Katsuta of Japan and Aaron Johnston of Ireland with their Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 #18 during the Shakedown of the FIA World Rally Championship Kenya on June 21, 2023 in Naivasha, Kenya. (Photo by Massimo Bettiol/Getty Images)

A model takes part in the Necropolis – Tanexpo 2021 international exhibition of funeral accessories, services and commemorative art at Moscow's Expocentre in Moscow, Russia on October 26, 2021. (Photo by Sergei Karpukhin/TASS)

One of only three active female blimp pilots in the world, Kristen Arambula guides her passengers towards the Goodyear blimp “Spirit of America” in Carson, California August 5, 2015. Christened in 2002, the air ship is being retired after 8,000 flights and replaced with a newer more modern version named the “Spirit of Innovation” in September. (Photo by Mike Blake/Reuters)