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 group of Ring Tailed Lemurs eat from a Thanksgiving spread at the San Francisco Zoo on November 23, 2011 in San Francisco, California. Fifteen lemurs at the San Francisco Zoo were treated to a Thanksgiving feast of green beans, a fruit salad made up of apples, bananas, grapes sweet potatoes and a turkey made out of monkey chow. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A fruit bat eats lettuce as it hangs from a rope during a behind the scenes interactive live stream from the Oakland Zoo on April 16, 2020 in Oakland, California. Since the Oakland Zoo has been closed to the public during the shelter in place, they are offering a subscription based service that will feature five weekly behind the scenes live streamed interactive programs that will feature animal keepers and their animals. Viewers are able to interact with the keepers by submitting questions to about the animals. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Visitors enjoy food at a table bounded by a banner with a character fast food restaurant Kentucky Fried Chicken, in Jakarta, Indonesia, on June 23, 2020. The display banner is useful for limiting physical distance for visitors who eat on the spot. The Indonesian government has imposed a new set of regulations known as “new normal”, which will be implemented in stages starting in early June for some provinces. (Photo by Jefta Images/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

A group of dancers pose for a photo before their performance at the Nueva Esperanza cemetery in the shantytown Villa Maria, in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, November 1, 2016, as part of the Day of the Dead festivities. The holiday honors the deceased and coincides with All Saints Day, and All Souls Day celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2. Dancing, drinking alcohol, and eating with the deceased are part of Day of the Dead celebrations. (Photo by Martin Mejia/AP Photo)

“For a bouquet of flowers”. Photographs made ​​in the last hours of the day. A goat is directed by a dangerous way to eat a small bouquet of flowers. Location: España, Barcelona, Montserrat. (Photo and caption by Renato Lopez Baldo/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

ATTENTION! All pictures are presented in high resolution. To see Hi-Res images – just TWICE click on any picture. In other words, click small picture – opens the BIG picture. Click BIG picture – opens VERY BIG picture.

Parent hedgehogs Maria, left, and Gosha, 2nd right, eat with their albino babies in a private Zoo in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, August 22, 2013. Three rare albino hedgehog babies, born on the same day as Britain's new prince, have moved into a miniature castle at a Moscow petting zoo. The three are named after the Prince of Cambridge – George, Alexander and Louis. On Thursday, when they turned one month old, they were shown their new home at the All-Russia Exhibition Center. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr./AP Photo)