Pangolins are the world's most trafficked mammals — and recovery programs for confiscated animals face extraordinary challenges given their specialist dietary needs and stress sensitivity in captivity.
Pangolins in rescue facilities face a welfare paradox: rescued from trafficking but often unable to survive in care. Their extreme dietary specialization, sensitivity to stress, and susceptibility to respiratory infections make them one of the most challenging animals to rehabilitate. Those that do survive rehabilitation often carry permanent damage from the stress of capture and transport. The welfare cost of pangolin trafficking extends far beyond mortality — every trafficked individual experiences terror, confinement, and suffering whether they live or die after rescue.