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 woman fills her basket with marigold flowers, used to make garlands and offer prayers, as she plucks them before selling to the market for the Tihar festival, also called Diwali, in Kathmandu, Nepal on October 25, 2019. (Photo by Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters)

A man walks into the The Life Tabernacle megachurch as local residents attend Sunday service challenging state orders against assembling in large groups to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana U.S., April 5, 2020. (Photo by Carlos Barria/Reuters)

An Afghan laborer works at a brick kiln, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, 24 February 2020. Afghan President Ghani said on 21 February, said that a seven-day reduction in violence promised by the Taliban will determine the government's next steps in Afghanistan's peace process. The Taliban has announced a decrease in hostilities in an agreement with the United States as a preliminary step to signing a peace deal with Washington on 29 February. (Photo by Ghulamullah Habibi/EPA/EFE)

Journalists wear face mask and keep distance as they attend news conference by German Health Minister Jens Spahn about the developing of the coronavirus crisis test strategy in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, August 6, 2020. (Photo by Markus Schreiber/AP Photo)

A female rebel in Kabul, Afghanistan, circa 1979. Photo taken at a parade in Kabul in honor of the pro-Communist Saur Revolution. She was from the women’s battalion of the people’s militia (one of the anti-imperial groups that participated in the coup d’etat). (Photo by Viktor Khabarov)

Miley Cyrus performs at the Radio 1 Big Weekend at Stewart Park on May 25, 2019 in Middlesbrough, England. (Photo by Jo Hale/Redferns)

People take part in a gay pride parade in Warsaw, Poland, on Saturday, June 8, 2019. The Equality Parade is the largest gay pride parade in central and Eastern Europe. It brought thousands of people to the streets of Warsaw at a time when the LGBT rights movement in Poland is targeted by hate speeches and a government campaign depicting it as a threat to families and society. (Photo by Czarek Sokolowski/AP Photo)