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 fisherman throws a net for catching fish with his wife in Yanhu fisherman village near Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, China, 18 October 2018. (Photo by Aleksandar Plavevski/EPA/EFE)

Thai LGBT community participates in Gay Freedom Day Parade in Bangkok, Thailand on November 29, 2018. (Photo by Soe Zeya Tun/Reuters)

People take part in the “The Burial of the Sardine” funeral procession, which marks the end of carnival festivities, in Madrid, Spain, February 10, 2016. “Mourners” carry a coffin with a mock sardine through the streets to celebrate the countdown to Lent. Spanish painter Francisco de Goya's painting “El entierro de la sardina” (The Burial of the Sardine) was inspired by this tradition, which started in Madrid in the 18th century, around the time of Spanish King Carlos III. (Photo by Juan Medina/Reuters)

Farmers work on a farm near a construction site of new residential buildings in Shanghai, China, February 20, 2016. (Photo by Aly Song/Reuters)

Bella Hadid smiles as she picks up a camera battery which a photographer dropped on the red carpet, before giving it back as she attends the “Ismael's Ghosts (Les Fantomes d'Ismael)” screening and Opening Gala during the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 17, 2017 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

Polar bear twins make their first public appearance with their mother “Freedom” at Ouwehands Zoo Rhenen, in Rhenen, The Netherlands, 19 February 2015. The twins, who were born in November 2014, have not been named because their gender has not yet been determined. (Photo by Bart Maat/EPA)

People watch police destroy confiscated illegal firecrackers in Shenyang, Liaoning province, China, January 29, 2016. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)