Pangolins are the most trafficked wild mammals on Earth, captured for their scales and meat. Their welfare suffers acutely during capture, transport, and slaughter, and their populations are collapsing.
Pangolin welfare during trafficking is among the most acute animal welfare crises in wildlife trade. Animals captured from the wild are confined in cramped, filthy conditions during transport, often for weeks. Their stress sensitivity and specialised diet mean most cannot eat in captivity, leading to starvation alongside the physical trauma of confinement. Those destined for wet markets are often slaughtered in view of other live animals. Even animals rescued from trafficking rarely survive in captivity — rehabilitation success rates are very low because pangolins are so poorly understood and so sensitive to captive conditions. The welfare imperative is prevention: reducing demand in consuming countries and enforcement at source are the only effective approaches.