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 worker piles salvaged e-bikes and scooters on the back of his three wheeler before taking them to be recycled on August 31, 2021 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Fikiri Kiponda, left, and Wilson Saro, right, carry a green turtle that was unintentionally caught in a fisherman's net, before releasing it back into the Watamu National Marine Park on the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya Wednesday, September 22, 2021. A former accountant, Kiponda and the Local Ocean Conservation group rescue sea turtles that have been caught in fishermen's nets, and then release them back into the marine park or treat injured ones at a rescue center until they are fit. (Photo by Brian Inganga/AP Photo)

Boy says hello to a swimming bear in Seattle, Washington on October 4, 2022. Fall weather brings out the Animals' playful side as Attendees celebrate World Animal Day with a visit to Woodlawn Park Zoo. (Photo by Shane Srogi/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A reveller surfs on top of the crowd during the Wacken Open Air 2022 heavy metal festival in Wacken, Germany on August 4, 2022. (Photo by Thilo Schmuelgen/Reuters)

A man poses as his acquaintance takes pictures on a street in the town of Vyborg, Russia on January 28, 2024. (Photo by Anton Vaganov/Reuters)

Belarusian Sergei Selekh plays with his 6-month-old tamed wolves on the outskirts of the village of Gaina, 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of Belarus capital Minsk, Wednesday, December 31, 2014. Selekh owns a farmstead, where sheep, wolves and an ethnographic museum serve as entertainment for guests. (Photo by Sergei Grits/AP Photo)

Alfred Hitchcock (1899 – 1980) in front of a caricature of his profile at a press reception in London for his new film “Frenzy”. (Photo by Central Press/Getty Images). 24th May 1972