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)

Two women in traditional kimonos wear face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus as they visit the Sensoji temple in Tokyo on Friday, August 7, 2020. (Photo by Hiro Komae/AP Photo)

Rescue team members search through buildings damaged due to the massive explosion at Beirut's port area, in Gemmayze, Lebanon on September 4, 2020. (Photo by Aziz Taher/Reuters)

Indonesian women wearing masks as a precaution against the coronavirus outbreak sit at a food stall near a mural in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, September 21, 2020. (Photo by Dita Alangkara/AP Photo)

A government employee reacts as she is sprayed with disinfectant before entering a government office building to curb the spread of COVID-19 on March 19, 2020 in Pasig city, Metro Manila, Philippines. The Philippine government has sealed off Luzon, the country's largest and most populous island, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Land, sea, and air travel has been suspended, while government work, schools, businesses, and public transportation have been ordered shut in a bid to keep some 55 million people at home. The Philippines' Department of Health has so far confirmed 217 cases of the new coronavirus in the country, with at least 17 recorded fatalities. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

An injured demonstrator receives aid during a protest against a lockdown planned for the capital this weekend to halt the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Belgrade, Serbia on July 7, 2020. (Photo by Marko Djurica/Reuters)

A woman takes photographs of falling snow from a window during a heavy snowfall, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Seoul, South Korea, January 12, 2021. (Photo by Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)

Street vendosr prepare grilled pigs to sell for the Chinese New Year celebrations at a market in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 11 February 2021. Chinese people around the world celebrate the Lunar New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, which marks the year of the Ox. (Photo by Kith Serey/EPA/EFE)