Pangolins are the world's most trafficked wild animal, with millions killed for traditional medicine. Their welfare in trafficking and captivity is extremely poor due to their specialized dietary needs.
Pangolin welfare in trafficking is characterized by almost universal fatal outcomes for trafficked individuals. Their extreme dietary specialization means they cannot survive in typical captive conditions - they require specific ant and termite species and refuse to eat in stressed conditions. Trafficked pangolins typically die during transport or shortly afterward from stress, dehydration, and inability to eat. The welfare cost of the pangolin trade is therefore measured primarily in deaths rather than survival in poor conditions. Conservation efforts that reduce trafficking serve simultaneously as welfare interventions - preventing the deaths of millions of sentient mammals.