Pangolins are the most trafficked mammals in the world, with millions captured and traded for meat and scales, causing immense individual suffering and driving populations toward extinction.
Pangolin trafficking causes acute suffering on an enormous scale. Captured animals are confined in wire bags or boxes, often for weeks, without food, water, or appropriate temperature regulation. Injury from wire confinement and stress-induced self-trauma are common. Mortality in captivity is extremely high — pangolins are physiologically and behaviorally specialized in ways that cannot be met in captive conditions. Those that survive trafficking face further suffering as exotic pets or in traditional medicine markets. Consumer demand reduction in key markets and enforcement of CITES protections are the most important welfare interventions.