Pangolins are the world's most trafficked wild mammals, with all eight species threatened by illegal trade for their scales and meat. The welfare suffering caused by trafficking is extreme and the conservation crisis acute.
Pangolin welfare during trafficking represents sustained, severe suffering. Their capture method — typically at night, when they are detected by dogs or poachers' lights — involves capture by hand and immediate restraint in sacks. Transport involves darkness, extreme temperatures, dehydration, starvation, and the constant stress of captivity for animals that are highly stress-sensitive and difficult to keep alive outside their natural habitat. Pangolins in sanctuary care show ongoing anxiety responses, are notoriously difficult to feed in captivity (their diet is almost entirely ants and termites), and rarely survive the physiological impact of trafficking. The welfare case for pangolin protection is overwhelming — the question is whether enforcement and demand reduction can move fast enough to prevent extinction of the most trafficked mammal on Earth.