Pangolins are the world's most trafficked mammals, with all eight species facing severe welfare harms during capture, transport, and the illegal trade that threatens their survival.
Pangolin welfare in the illegal trade represents extreme suffering at every stage. Capture using dogs or by hand causes acute trauma in animals whose defence mechanism - rolling into a ball - makes them completely helpless against humans. Transport in sacks or boxes without food, water, or temperature control causes rapid deterioration. Many pangolins die before reaching their destination. Those that survive face holding conditions they cannot physiologically cope with - stress-induced anorexia and digestive shutdown is common. Even well-intentioned rescue and rehabilitation efforts face low success rates because pangolins' specialist dietary needs and extreme stress sensitivity make captive survival extremely challenging.