Pangolins are the most trafficked mammals in the world. Capture, transport, and the illegal wildlife trade cause severe welfare harms before most pangolins die in transit or captivity.
The pangolin wildlife trade causes extreme welfare suffering at every stage. Captured pangolins are typically restrained in stress positions, packed into overcrowded containers without food or water, and transported over long distances — journeys from which most do not survive. Their physiological stress response in captivity is so severe that most die within weeks even with veterinary intervention. Those that survive to reach markets may be kept alive under extremely poor conditions until slaughter. The cumulative welfare harm is enormous: estimates of pangolins trafficked annually run to hundreds of thousands. Addressing pangolin welfare requires strengthened law enforcement, demand reduction campaigns targeting traditional medicine markets, and support for rehabilitation programmes for confiscated animals.