An otter reaches for a snack from a customer at an otter cafe in Tokyo. Asian small-clawed otters are increasingly popular as novelty pets, particularly in Japan. Now international trade in the species may be banned. (Photo by Noriko Hayashi/The New York Times)

Thailand's Patsapong Amsam-ang waits under an umbrella during a break due to heavy rains in the men's pole vault final during the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Phnom Penh on May 8, 2023. (Photo by Mohd Rasfan/AFP Photo)

Thailand's Lac Somruedee Pruepruk balances the ball during the sepak takraw women's match against Malaysia at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Hanoi on May 17, 2022. (Photo by Ye Aung Thu/AFP Photo)

South Korea's Hur Yoonseo and Lee Riyoung take part in the Free Routine segment of the Artistic Swimming Women's Duet competition at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Saturday, October 7, 2023. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

A girl watches as Saen Dao, an eight-year-old female asian elephant, and her mahout perform underwater during a show at the Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Chonburi south of Bangkok on June 1, 2017. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/AFP Photo)

China's Sun Jiajun competes during the men's 4x100m medley relay swimming heat at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, Tuesday, September 26, 2023. (Photo by Lee Jin-man/AP Photo)

Uzbekistan's Ekaterina Voronina competes during the long jump in the women's heptathlon at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou in China's eastern Zhejiang province on October 1, 2023. (Photo by William West/AFP Photo)

Japan's Miho Nonaka competes in the women's boulder dicipline of the sport climbing Asian qualifier final event for the 2024 Paris Olympics in Jakarta on November 11, 2023. (Photo by Adek Berry/AFP Photo)