Pangolin Trafficking and Welfare Crisis

Pangolins are the world's most trafficked wild mammals, with millions killed and suffering in the illegal wildlife trade annually.

Key Facts

All eight pangolin species are threatened or endangered due to poaching for traditional medicine markets
An estimated one million pangolins were trafficked over the 10 years preceding 2014
Pangolins are the only scaled mammals and curl into a ball for defense, making them easy to capture
Captured pangolins often survive only days to weeks in captivity due to stress and inability to feed
CITES listed all pangolin species under Appendix I in 2016, providing the highest international trade protection

Welfare Considerations

Pangolins captured for the wildlife trade experience profound welfare harm at every stage. The extreme stress of capture causes physiological shock that, combined with inability to feed in captivity, results in rapid decline. Animals transported in sacks or bags suffer from dehydration, temperature stress, and physical injury from other animals. Surviving transport face continued suffering in holding facilities before slaughter. The scale of pangolin trafficking - with hundreds of thousands of animals affected annually - makes this one of the largest welfare crises in mammal conservation. Effective intervention requires demand reduction in consumer markets, law enforcement, and community livelihood programs in source countries.

What You Can Do

Never purchase or consume pangolin-derived products including scales or meat
Support organizations working on pangolin demand reduction campaigns in consumer countries
Report suspected wildlife trafficking to authorities or organizations like TRAFFIC
Donate to pangolin field conservation programs protecting wild populations from poachers