Festival-goers enjoy the mud during the annual Boryeong Mud Festival at Daecheon Beach on July 18, 2015 in Boryeong, South Korea. The mud, which is believed to have benefical effects on the skin due to its mineral content, is sourced from mud flats near Boryeong and transported to the beach by truck. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

A mahout watches the Thai animation movie Kan Kluay with his elephant in Ayuthaya province, about 80km (49 miles) north of Bangkok June 5, 2006. The movie tells the story of a young Thai wild elephant who, while looking for his father, becomes the war elephant of the Thai King fighting against Burma and restored Thailand's ancient Ayuthaya empire that existed about 400 years ago. (Photo by Sukree Sukplang/Reuters)

Residents walk past electoral posters in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, January 28, 2017. (Photo by Andres Martinez Casares/Reuters)

Sri Lankan participants control their bulls during a traditional cart race to mark the Sri Lanka National New Year in Homagama near Colombo on April 23, 2017. The new year marked by both the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamil population fell on April 14. (Photo by Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP Photo)

British model Jourdan Dunn arrives for the premiere of “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival, in Cannes, France, 22 May 2017. The movie is presented in the Official Competition of the festival which runs from 17 to 28 May. Dress by Elie Saab Haute Couture. (Photo by Julien Warnand/EPA)

Geisha women parade down the street to Asakusa Shrine in the compound of Sensoji Temple Friday, May 19, 2017, in Tokyo prior to the annual Sanja Festival, one of the three major festivals in Tokyo. (Photo by Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo)

A model presents a creation by Colombian brand Elena Plus Clothing at Colombiamoda during Medellin's fashion week in Itagui municipality near Medellin, Antioquia department, Colombia, on July 24, 2017. Colombiamoda will take place between the 24th and 27th of July. (Photo by Joaquin Sarmiento/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)