Pangolins are the most trafficked wild mammals on Earth, suffering acutely during capture, transport, and confinement before reaching markets where they are killed or used in traditional medicine.
Pangolin trafficking causes welfare suffering at multiple stages: capture from the wild using dogs or snares, transport in compressed, dark conditions with many animals, dehydration and starvation during transit, and death by suffocation, boiling, or other methods at market. Mortality during transport is enormous — traffickers typically pack many more animals than expected to survive, building mortality into their logistics. Demand reduction in consumer markets, particularly in Vietnam and China, is the most direct lever on this welfare crisis. Enforcement improvements in transit countries also reduce the volume of animals entering the pipeline.