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)

A demonstrator shows her arm with the name “Marielle” written on it, as she performs during a protest against the murder of councilwoman Marielle Franco in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, March 20, 2018. Franco's murder came just a month after the government put the military in charge of security in Rio, which is experiencing a sharp spike in violence less than two years after hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics. (Photo by Leo Correa/AP Photo)

Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the US President, attends the “Global Call To Protect Religious Freedom” conference during the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters, September 23, 2019. President Trump skipped the Climate Action Summit as the United States withdrew from the 2016 Paris Climate Agreemnet. (Photo by Anthony Behar/Sipa USA)

From left, Brazilian model Adriana Lima, British model Lily Donaldson, Brazilian model Alessandra Ambrosio, US model Taylor Hill, and US model Martha Hunt acknowledge applause during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show inside the Grand Palais, in Paris, Wednesday, November 30, 2016. The pulse-quickening, celebrity-filled catwalk event of the year: the Victoria's Secret fashion show takes place in Paris with performances from Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)

Models smoke during a break at Sevilla de Boda (Seville Wedding) fashion show in the Andalusian capital of Seville November 27, 2015. (Photo by Marcelo del Pozo/Reuters)

Takehiko Yagi is a rising star in Japanese photography, and his vibrant pictures of the Hindu spring festival of Holi won the Grand Prize at the fourth annual Nikkei National Geographic Photo Prize. Diving into the Colors of Holi is his first exhibition in the US, on show at Foto Care Gallery in New York until 28 September, 2016. Here: Jaipur, India, 2013, (Photo by Takehiko Yagi/The Guardian)

Humboldt Penguins swim in their pool as a keeper looks on through a spherical window during the annual stocktake press preview at London Zoo in Regents Park in London Monday, January 4, 2016. A requirement of ZSL London Zoo's license, the annual audit takes keepers a week to complete and all of the information is shared with zoos around the world via the International Species Information System, where it's used to manage the worldwide breeding programmes for endangered animals. (Photo by Alastair Grant/AP Photo)

“People and Space”. Winner: Wanderer in Patagonia by Yuri Zvezdny (Russia) A lone stargazer stares up at the stars of our galaxy, the Milky Way, as they stretch across the night sky over the glacier “White Stones” (Piedras Blancas) in the Los Glaciares National Park, Argentina. El Chaltén, Santa Cruz Province, Argentina, 27 September 2016 iOptron Sky-Tracker mount, Sony A7S camera, 18 mm f/2.8 lens, ISO 5000, 30-second exposure Wanderer in Patagonia. (Photo by Yuri Zvezdny/Insight Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2017)