Pangolins are the most trafficked wild mammals on Earth, with all eight species facing severe pressure from poaching for their scales and meat, causing immense suffering during capture and transport.
Pangolin trafficking causes acute suffering at every stage. Captured animals experience the terror of handling, confinement in sacks or crates, transport over long distances without food or water, and often force-feeding with inappropriate materials to falsely inflate weight at market. Their specialized diet makes survival in any captive setting nearly impossible — even rescued pangolins rarely survive rehabilitation. The suffering of trafficked pangolins is therefore almost universally fatal, making prevention the only meaningful welfare intervention. Consumer demand reduction in key markets — primarily China and Vietnam — is the highest-impact lever for change.