Pangolins are the world's most trafficked wild mammal, hunted for their scales and meat despite all eight species being legally protected. The welfare implications of trafficking are severe.
The welfare suffering experienced by trafficked pangolins is acute and prolonged. Animals are captured in the wild, often by leg-hold snare or direct capture, then packed alive into sacks or boxes for transport. Pangolins are highly stress-sensitive — they cannot eat or drink in captivity without significant habituation, and most succumb to stress, dehydration, and respiratory infection during transit. Those that survive to market face further handling stress before slaughter. Pangolins cannot be bred in captivity at scale — nearly all trafficked individuals are wild-caught. The international legal protection afforded to pangolins is routinely circumvented through falsified documentation and corruption. Demand reduction through traditional medicine regulatory reform and consumer education is the most effective lever for change.