Carved pumpkins designed by US pumpkin artist Ray Villafane are pictured during a pumpkin exhibition in Ludwigsburg, southern Germany, on September 8, 2017. (Photo by Sebastian Gollnow/AFP Photo/DPA)

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)

People walk past the sculpture by artist Danger Dave titled “Damien Hirst looking for sharks” at the Swell Sculpture Festival at Currumbin Beach on the Gold Coast, Australia, 17 September 2021. The Swell Sculpture Festival is the largest outdoor art exhibition in Queensland and features 65 large scale contemporary sculptures set along Currumbin Beach. (Photo by Darren England/EPA/EFE)

People brave strong wind on the promenade of Victoria Habour as tropical cyclone Ma-on approaches Hong Kong, Wednesday, August 24, 2022. Tropical Storm Ma-on was gaining strength as it headed for Hong Kong and other parts of southeastern China on Wednesday after displacing thousands in the Philippines. (Photo by Anthony Kwan/AP Photo)

Brazilian model Alessandra Ambrosio arrives at the pier of the Excelsior Hotel on August 31, 2022, on the opening day of the 79th Venice International Film Festival at Lido di Venezia in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Tiziana Fabi/AFP Photo)

A policeman jumps as he tried to avoid a tear gas grenade thrown back towards police by protesters in the Mathare neighborhood of Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, July 12, 2023. Kenyans angered by the rising cost of living were back protesting on the streets of the capital, Nairobi, on Wednesday, as they awaited a speech by a longtime opposition leader. (Photo by AP Photo/Stringer)

American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performs onstage during Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour at Levi's Stadium on July 28, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)

A male Sumatran elephant calf named Rocky Balboa, born on May 25, 2024, stands next to its mother, a 40-year-old elephant named Lembang, at the Surabaya Zoo during the introduction of the 3-month-old calf to the public in Surabaya on August 31, 2024. (Photo by Juni Kriswanto/AFP Photo)