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)

Racegoers during Ladies Day of the 2018 Cheltenham Festival in Cheltenham, England on March 14, 2018. (Photo by Graham Stone/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Members of the Delirio dance company perform during the “Hechizo” (Spell) virtual show, inspired by the legend of the merry widow on Hallo​ween night, in Cali, Colombia, 31 October 2020. (Photo by Ernesto Guzman Jr./EPA/EFE)

Noah, 10, cools himself off in his garden during hot weather in Hertford, Britain, June 25, 2020. The UK is experiencing a summer heatwave, with temperatures in many parts of the country expected to rise above 30°C and weather warnings in place for thunderstorms at the end of the week. (Photo by Andrew Couldridge/Reuters)

Children play with their pet Hamster at a street in Kochi on March 29, 2021. (Photo by Arun Sankar/AFP Photo)

A child plays with a mock submachine gun at a model Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station to mark the National Security Education Day at Hong Kong Police College in Hong Kong, China on April 15, 2021. The “education day” was organized to promote the sweeping legislation China imposed last year, marked with school activities, games and shows, and a parade by police and other services. (Photo by Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

A worker assembles a sеx doll at the WMDOLL factory in Zhongshan, Guangdong Province, China, July 11, 2018. The factory has over 200 full-time workers, all dolls are handmade and each requires the cooperation of at least five workers. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

Animal rights activists protest against the use of animal leather in fashion businness, a few days before the fashion week opening in Milan, Italy, 16 September 2018. (Photo by Matteo Bazzi/EPA/EFE)