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)

The secretive indri (Indri indri) of Madagascar, the largest living lemur. It is also critically endangered and highly evolutionarily distinct with no close relatives, which makes its branch one of most precarious on the mammal evolutionary tree. In the likely event that the indri goes extinct, we will lose 19m years of unique evolutionary history from the mammal tree of life. (Photo by Pierre-Yves Babelon/Aarhus University)

Bebe Rexha wears satin fuchsia suit while leaving The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon in New York City on December 20, 2018. (Photo by Felipe Ramales/Splash News and Pictures)

Ameca, a humanoid robot developed by the British company Engineered Arts Digital, at the Re:publica trade fair in Berlin, Germany on May 28, 2024. (Photo by dts News Agency Germany/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Manchester United's Amad Diallo, left, challenges for the ball with Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester United and Chelsea at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, England, Saturday, September 20, 2025. (Photo by Dave Thompson/AP Photo)

Italian police remove “Bruciamo Tutto” (Let's burn everything) activists after they poured red paint on the Spanish steps (Piazza di Spagna), on June 26, 2024 in Rome, Italy. Today activists from “Bruciamo Tutto” (Let's burn everything) poured red paint on the Spanish steps (Piazza di Spagna) to protest against feminicides. (Photo by Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)

Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner are seen filming at the “One Night Only” set in SoHo, Manhattan on November 07, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Argentina's forward #22 Lautaro Martinez shoots to score during the 2026 FIFA World Cup South American qualifiers football match between Argentina and Peru at the La Bombonera stadium in Buenos Aires on November 19, 2024. (Photo by Juan Mabromata/AFP Photo)