A dog dressed up for a show sits backstage during the 16th annual New York Pet Fashion Show on February 7, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Johannes Eisele/AFP Photo)

Layers of breathtaking colour streak the rolling hills of this vast desert, making the landscape appear as though it has been tie-dyed. The natural phenomenon, nicknamed the “Painted Desert”, was formed when the area was once a river floodplain. Each colour corresponds to a different underground geological feature – rocks which have seemingly dyed the layers of earth above. Formed from volcanic activity, the hills at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in East Central Oregon, USA, are almost bursting with colour. Pictured: The colourful hills at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in East Central Oregon, USA. (Photo by Mark Brodkin/Solent News/SIPA Press)

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 humane society have drafted in Star Wars characters to help find adoptable animals new homes. The Ottawa Humane Society in Ontario, Canada, used the recognisable cosplay figures to adorably interact with the likes of dogs, cats and guinea pigs. Photographed by Rohit Saxena, the series featured a stormtrooper, a Tusken Raider and Garindan. Those photographed were members of the 501st Capital City Garrison, a Star Wars costuming group in Eastern Ontario. Here: a Tusken Raider with a cat. (Photo by Rohit Saxena/Caters News)

Food is placed on the tomb of pet dog Xixi at Baifu pet cemetery ahead of the Qingming Festival on the outskirts of Beijing, China March 26, 2016. The Chinese characters on the gravestone read: “Mommy's only good son”. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)

A dog dressed as a Zoltar fortune telling machine participates in the Halloween Dog Parade in New York. (Photo by Timothy Clary/Getty Images)

In this Sunday, March 12, 2017, picture a Don Sphinx cat reaches for a judge while being evaluated, in Bucharest, Romania. More than 1,500 dogs and 150 cats from twelve countries were evaluated during a three day pet show and competition in the Romanian capital. (Photo by Vadim Ghirda/AP Photo)

In this November 17, 2014 photo, Pancho, a domesticated huitia, confronts a camera, in Bainoa, Cuba. With their rope-like, dark tails, long front teeth, and whiskers that appear to be vibrating, huitias look like giant rats. They measure nearly a foot long (about 30 centimeters), with the largest ones weighing in bigger than a small dog. (Photo by Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo)