Wild Pangolin Anti-Trafficking Welfare

Pangolins are the world's most trafficked wild mammal, facing severe welfare harms from capture, transport, and exploitation. Anti-trafficking efforts provide direct relief of suffering for individual animals.

Key Facts

An estimated 1 million pangolins were trafficked between 2000 and 2013, and trade has continued since
All eight pangolin species are listed on CITES Appendix I, but enforcement remains a major challenge
Pangolins in trafficking suffer extreme stress from handling, captivity in cramped conditions, and unfamiliar environments
Their defensive behavior of rolling into a ball makes them easy to capture but provides no protection against humans
Scales are falsely believed in traditional medicine to have healing properties; no scientific evidence supports this

Welfare Considerations

Trafficked pangolins experience multiple acute welfare harms: capture stress, deprivation of food and water during transit, extremes of temperature, and confinement with unfamiliar animals. Mortality rates during trafficking are high. Rescued pangolins face rehabilitation challenges as they are difficult to maintain in captivity and stress-sensitive. Consumer demand reduction campaigns targeting traditional medicine markets in China and Vietnam are the most upstream intervention. Supporting enforcement capacity and anti-trafficking organizations directly reduces the number of individual pangolins experiencing trafficking suffering.

What You Can Do

Never purchase pangolin scales, meat, or products - there is no legitimate use that justifies the harm
Donate to anti-pangolin trafficking organizations working in range countries and consumer markets
Support demand reduction campaigns educating communities about pangolin conservation status
Advocate for stronger CITES enforcement and penalties for pangolin trafficking in range and consumer states