A ring-tailed lemur sunbakes at Melbourne Zoo in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on December 21 2016. (Photo by Julian Smith/EPA)

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 model takes part in the Necropolis – Tanexpo 2021 international exhibition of funeral accessories, services and commemorative art at Moscow's Expocentre in Moscow, Russia on October 26, 2021. (Photo by Sergei Karpukhin/TASS)

A volunteer holds the peak of a flamingo chick after it was fitted with an identity ring at a lagoon in the Fuente de Piedra natural reserve near Malaga, southern Spain, July 30, 2022. (Photo by Jon Nazca/Reuters)

A young rednose dwarf chameleon (Kinyongia oxyrhina) perches on a zookeeper’s thumb at the Tiergarten Schönbrunn in Vienna on September 12, 2023. The chameleons were found by customs officers in a suitcase in 2021, and have bred at the zoo. (Photo by Daniel Zupanc/Newsflash)

Bryan Adams took the pictures for next year’s Pirelli calendar, which features fellow musicians including Cher, Rita Ora, Iggy Pop and the American rapper Saweetie, above, as it depicts a typical day in the life of a touring performer. (Photo by Bryan Adams/Pirelli)

Actress Elaine C Smith grazes Siusan, the Highland cow, on Glasgow Green to mark being given the Freedom of the City of Glasgow, UK on Thursday, March 6, 2025. (Photo by Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

A white yak sits on the lakeside of Namtso on May 19, 2024 in Lhasa, Xizang Autonomous Region of China. As temperature rises and ice melts, Lake Namtso is entering its tourism season. An event celebrating the melting of frozen water of Lake Namtso is held on May 19. (Photo by Jin Wei/VCG via Getty Images)