An elephant bull charges a female hippopotamus as her calf scampers to safety, in Erindi Private Game Reserve in Windhoek, Namibia. (Photo by Rian van Schalkwyk/Barcroft Media)

A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) female fighter adjusts a mortar in northern Deir al-Zor province ahead of an offensive against Islamic State militants, Syria February 21, 2017. (Photo by Rodi Said/Reuters)

A female goalkeeper saves the ball at the Mathare Environmental Conservation Youth Center during a soccer match to celebrate the International Women's day in Nairobi, Kenya, March 8, 2017. (Photo by Thomas Mukoya/Reuters)

Female members of police commando march during a ceremony on International Women's Day, at the police headquarters in Islamabad, Pakistan March 8, 2018. (Photo by Faisal Mahmood/Reuters)

Saudi female firearm trainer, Mona Al Khurais, teaches a Saudi boy on safe usage of weapons at the Top-Gun shooting range in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, October 28, 2021. (Photo by Ahmed Yosri/Reuters)

The first female attack helicopter pilot of Türkiye's Atak helicopter, Deputy Commissioner Özge Karabulut, undisclosed location, Türkiye, January 6, 2022. (Photo by Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Female bodybuilder Joanne Caldwell competes during the IBFA British Finals Night of Champions contest at the Federation Brewery in Gateshead, Britain on October 22, 2023. (Photo by Lee Smith/Reuters)

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)