All eight pangolin species are threatened by poaching for the illegal wildlife trade. They are the most trafficked wild mammals globally, with tens of thousands killed annually for scales and meat.
Pangolin welfare in the context of wildlife trafficking is catastrophically poor. Animals captured for trade are transported in cramped sacks, without food or water, for days or weeks before reaching markets. Their extreme stress response to confinement — they stop eating, curl defensively, and rapidly deteriorate — means that most pangolins die during transport or in holding conditions. Those reaching live markets are killed on-site through suffocation or boiling while alive. Pangolins rescued from traders almost universally die in rehabilitation care — their specialized diet (specific ant and termite species) and sensitivity to stress make rehabilitation essentially impossible. Conservation depends entirely on demand reduction in consumer markets and supply-side enforcement. No trade in pangolin products is sustainable or welfare-acceptable.