A father crosses a road with his twin daughters in Shanghai, China September 28, 2018. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

Human Connection Award: People and Planet Ocean – Winner – Steve Woods. A free diver interacts with a sperm whale among a cloud of sargassum weed, Dominica. (Photo by Steve Woods/Ocean Photographer of the Year 2022)

Aerial view of workers repairing fishing nets in preparation for a new round of fishing season on July 27, 2025 in Wenling, Taizhou City, Zhejiang Province of China. (Photo by Zhu Haiwei/Zhejiang Daily Press Group/VCG via Getty Images)

A bus goes through a flooded street in Wuhan, Hubei province, China July 6, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

Visitors to a mall grasp at air as they try out an augmented reality experience of a digital art gala in Beijing, Tuesday, May 2, 2023. (Photo by Ng Han Guan/AP Photo)

A model presents a creation by Chinese designer Chen Wen at China Fashion Week in Beijing, China March 29, 2017. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)

Tiffany Porter of Britain falls after competing in the women's 100 metres hurdles final during the 15th IAAF World Championships at the National Stadium in Beijing, China August 28, 2015. (Photo by David Gray/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)