Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal in the world, with all eight species threatened by demand for scales and meat in Asian markets.
Pangolin trafficking welfare combines acute suffering during capture and transport with extremely poor rehabilitation outcomes. These solitary, specialized insectivores cannot be kept in the dense, stressful conditions of wildlife trafficking — mortality during transport is extremely high. Those that survive to rescue centers have been so severely compromised physiologically that feeding them the right species of ant or termite in captivity is technically extremely challenging. The welfare case against pangolin trafficking is as compelling as the conservation case.