Texas Longhorns cheerleaders pose for photos after defeating the Iowa State Cyclones in the Big 12 Women's Basketball Tournament championship game at T-Mobile Center on March 12, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images)

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 handout TV grab made available by the Demiroren News Agency (DHA) on September 12, 2020, shows a freak sandstorm sweeping over Polatli, in Ankara, on September 12, 2020. A freak sandstorm hit Ankara on September 12, 2020, the Turkish capital's mayor said, as officials said six people were injured after strong winds. (Photo by Handout/DHA via AFP Photo)

A masked reveller poses during the Venice Carnival in Venice, Italy February 12, 2017. (Photo by Tony Gentile/Reuters)

Members of a propaganda troupe perform in a public square in Pyongyang on April 12, 2017. (Photo by Ed Jones/AFP Photo)

An Aymara woman with a sheep waves to the crowd during a Christmas parade in La Paz, Bolivia December 12, 2015. (Photo by David Mercado/Reuters)

The sun rises through the thick fog that covers the city of Frankfurt, Germany, Friday, November 12, 2021. (Photo by Michael Probst/AP Photo)

Men and children gather as a camel is being slaughtered in celebration of Eid al-Adha, in Peshawar, Pakistan on August 12, 2019. (Photo by Fayaz Aziz/Reuters)