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 member of the Pakistani Anti-Narcotic Force (ANF) takes a selfie beside a pile of burning drugs and liquor during a ceremony at the Kacha Ghari army firing range, on the outskirts of Peshawar on October 16, 2018, after the contraband was seized in raids across the province. (Photo by Abdul Majeed/AFP Photo)

A girl plays in a waterlogged street following a heavy monsoon rainfall in Mumbai on June 9, 2021. (Photo by Sujit Jaiswal/AFP Photo)

From left, Oscar winners Adrien Brody, Mikey Madison, Zoe Saldaña and Kieran Culkin share a moment together in the Academy Awards press room on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Brody and Madison won best actor and best actress. Saldaña and Culkin won for supporting roles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP Photo)

Pakistani Muslims attend an Eid Al-Fitr prayer service, in Hyderabad, Pakistan, 31 March 2025. Muslims around the world have begun celebrating Eid al-Fitr, the three-day festival which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. During Eid al-Fitr, most people travel to visit each other in town or outside of it and children receive new clothes and money to spend for the occasion. (Photo by Nadeem Khawer/EPA/EFE)

Miho Nonaka of Japan competes in the Women Boulder&Lead, Semifinal Lead of the Sport Climbing competitions in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, at the Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue in Le Bourget, France, 08 August 2024. (Photo by Christophe Petit-Tesson/EPA/EFE)

Russian servicemen drive a partially covered T-14 Armata tank along a street before a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia, April 29, 2015. Russia will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two on May 9. (Photo by Maxim Zmeyev/Reuters)

Tourists sit around a bonfire on the Makgadikgadi salt pan in Botswana. (Photo by Yang Mengxi/Xinhua News Agency/Barcroft Media)