Pangolins are the world's most trafficked wild mammals, with all eight species facing serious population declines from demand for their scales in traditional medicine markets.
Trafficked pangolins experience extreme welfare harms: capture stress, live transport in cramped conditions without food or water for days or weeks, and mortality rates of 50% or higher during transit. Confiscated pangolins at rescue centers face challenges including stress-induced enteritis, respiratory infections, and the difficulty of replicating their specialized insectivorous diet. Pangolins curl into balls when threatened but this evolved defense provides no protection against poachers. The welfare emergency is inseparable from the conservation emergency.