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 cat tries to find dry ground around an apartment complex in Houston after Hurricane Harvey hit on Aug. 30. Harvey made landfall in South Texas on August 25, leading to days of downpours that dumped more than 50 inches of rain. Harvey damaged or destroyed about 200,000 homes as the storm system flooded much of Houston and smaller coastal communities. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Russian President Vladimir Putin visits the Byzantine and Christian museum in Athens, Friday, May 27, 2016. Russia's president is due in financially struggling Greece Friday for a state visit that will include a trip to a 1,000-year-old, all-male Orthodox Christian sanctuary in the north of the country. (Photo by Thanassis Stavrakis/AP Photo)

A woman dries chili peppers in the sun at a village in Wuyuan County, Jiangxi province, China July 21, 2017. (Photo by Reuters/China Stringer Network)

Santa Jerry Julian of Colorado Springs, Colorado hides in the grass following a ride on the Polar Express during a field trip from the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School in Midland, Michigan, U.S. October 28, 2016. (Photo by Christinne Muschi/Reuters)

A Malachite butterfly diverts the animal keeper Ella Marsh on March 28, 2022 from her task of preparing the Tropical Butterfly House wildlife and falconry centre in South Anston in Yorkshire for the Easter holidays. (Photo by James Glossop/The Times)

Hosts Miranda Cosgrove and Rob Gronkowski perform during the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, U.S., April 9, 2022. (Photo by Mario Anzuoni/Reuters)

An undated handout photo obtained on May 14, 2022, from Khartoum's Marshall Nature Reserve for exotic birds, shows a visitor posing for pictures with some of the protected birds in the capital Khartoum. Tucked away east of Sudan's capital Khartoum, a sanctuary of lush green vegetation has been a haven for dozens of exotic birds from far and wide. (Photo by Khartoum Marshall Nature Reserve/AFP Photo)