Pangolins are secretive, specialised insectivores that are almost impossible to keep successfully in captivity. Their welfare needs and conservation status make them uniquely challenging.
Pangolins represent perhaps the starkest example of an animal for which captivity is essentially incompatible with welfare. Their extreme dietary specialisation, vulnerability to stress, and susceptibility to respiratory infections make survival in captivity the exception rather than the rule even with expert care. Wildlife rescue facilities caring for confiscated pangolins face an almost impossible welfare challenge, with even the most skilled care teams unable to maintain most individuals long-term. The welfare implication of this reality is that prevention of trafficking must be the primary conservation strategy, as rescue and captive management cannot substitute for wild population protection. For the tiny number of pangolins in zoo collections, providing appropriate thermal conditions, dietary enrichment with live insects, and minimal disturbance are welfare priorities.