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)

Divers wearing mermaid costumes take part in the first Chinese Mermaid Performance Contest at Atlantis resort on December 21, 2021 in Sanya, Hainan Province of China. (Photo by Luo Yunfei/China News Service via Getty Images)

A man poses as his acquaintance takes pictures on a street in the town of Vyborg, Russia on January 28, 2024. (Photo by Anton Vaganov/Reuters)

A view of snow blanketed ancient giant statues and remains, dating back to 2.000-year-old Commagene Kingdom, located in the 2.150-meter-altitude Mount Nemrut, which is listed in the UNESCO's World Heritage List, in Kahta district of Adiyaman, Turkiye on February 02, 2024. (Photo by Ozkan Bilgin/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Tourists in the Serengeti, Tanzania in the second decade of February 2024, get more than they bargained for as a cheetah jumps on the bonnet of their jeep to make their acquaintance. (Photo by Ann Aveyard/Animal News Agency)

People take part in a rally in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 8, 2024. (Photo by Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters)

The photographer Yan Hidayat says his pet Pacman frog and Brazilian turtle are inseparable. He still had to wait four hours to get this photo in West Sumatra, Indonesia, in the first decade of March 2024. (Photo by Yan Hidayat/Media Drum Images)

A supporter of presidential candidate and former chairman of the NATO Military Committee and Czech Army General Petr Pavel hands out leaflets, ahead of a direct presidential election that will start on January 13, in Prague, Czech Republic on January 5, 2023. (Photo by David W. Cerny/Reuters)