Pangolins are the world's most trafficked wild mammals, with all eight species threatened by hunting for their scales and meat. Rescuing and rehabilitating confiscated pangolins presents unique welfare challenges due to their extreme stress sensitivity.
The welfare challenges of pangolin rehabilitation are extreme. These animals evolved in environments with zero human exposure and respond to captivity with chronic stress that suppresses immune function and appetite. Providing live insect colonies that match wild diet, minimising handling, maintaining appropriate temperature and humidity, and housing individuals in quiet low-light environments are minimum requirements. Even with optimal care, many rescued pangolins die from stress-related causes within weeks. Preventing trafficking through demand reduction in consumer markets — particularly in Vietnam and China where scales are used in traditional medicine — is therefore both the most effective conservation and the most effective welfare intervention for this species.