Pangolins are the most trafficked wild mammals in the world, with all eight species threatened by illegal trade for their scales and meat in Asian and African markets.
Pangolins captured for trade experience acute stress through handling and confinement. Their defensive curling behavior, evolved against animal predators, makes them completely helpless against human collectors. Transport in crowded, unsanitary conditions causes high mortality before reaching markets. Those that survive to market may be kept alive in cramped conditions for extended periods. The demand for pangolin scales — a product equivalent in composition to human fingernails, with no demonstrated medicinal value — drives immense unnecessary suffering. Demand reduction campaigns targeting consumer behavior represent the highest-leverage intervention.