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)

Leonhard Nienbling is shown with his 6-month old pet baboon Jackl, who holds a 6-month old kitten, its playmate, June 29, 1952. Niebling has quite an animal collection at his home in Zirndorf, Germany. (Photo by Heinrich Sanden/AP Photo)

Palestinian man Mohammed al-Hoor, 23, demonstrates his street workout skills in Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip on May 2, 2017. (Photo by Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, Cambridge University Professor and Fellow, circa 1985. Stephen Hawking, the brightest star in the firmament of science, whose insights shaped modern cosmology and inspired global audiences in the millions, has died aged 76. (Photo by Gemma Levine/Getty Images)

A cat dressed in a traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirt takes part in a parade in Kiev, Ukraine on May 28, 2016. (Photo by Gleb Garanich/Reuters)

A Hindu devotee lies on a road as the holy “Rath”, or the chariot of lord Jagannath, passed over her during the Rath Yatra, or chariot procession in Karachi, Pakistan, July 17, 2016. Ratha-jatra is derived from two Odia words ratha/rotho meaning “chariot” and jatra meaning “journey”. The festival involves an annual procession (journey) of a deity's idols. Other names for the festival include ratha jatra or chariot festival. (Photo by Akhtar Soomro/Reuters)

Residents ride on top of an overcrowded “Jeepney”, a locally manufactured public transport, along a highway in Mogpog town on Marinduque island in central Philippines April 8, 2015. (Photo by Erik De Castro/Reuters)

In this photo taken on March 11, 2019 an Afghan street vendor selling oranges waits for customers on a rainy day on the roadside in Jalalabad. (Photo by Noorullah Shirzada/AFP Photo)