Germany's Kira Walkenhorst (L) taps Germany's Laura Ludwig during the women's beach volleyball qualifying match between Germany and Canada at the Beach Volley Arena in Rio de Janeiro on August 9, 2016, for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. (Photo by Leon Neal/AFP Photo)

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 model performs on the Toyota FV2 concept car during the 2014 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition at China International Exhibition Center on April 21, 2014 in Beijing, China. More than 2,000 automotive enterprises from 14 countries and regions participated in the 2014 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition from April 20 to April 29. (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)

A model wears a creation as part of the Dolce & Gabbana women's Fall-Winter 2023-24 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Saturday, February 25, 2023. (Photo by Antonio Calanni/AP Photo)

Participants run at the “Half-Naked Marathon” at Olympic Forest park in Beijing, China, February 28, 2016. This annual running event which requires participants to run half-naked, was organized to promote environmentally friendly lifestyles. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)

Actors wrapped in blankets react at the set of the post-apocalyptic movie “Zombie Era” at an abandoned factory complex in Langfang, Hebei province, China December 16, 2016. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

A girl watches an acrobatic performance at the Longtan park as the Chinese Lunar New Year, which welcomes the Year of the Monkey, is celebrated in Beijing, China February 9, 2016. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

A participant runs on stairs during a vertical run event at China World Summit Wing hotel in Beijing, China, September 19, 2015. About 800 runners took part in the event on Saturday, which takes runners up 82 floors, covering a total of 2,041 steps to a height of 330 metres, the organizer said. (Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters)