Pangolins are the world's most trafficked mammals. Rehabilitation of confiscated individuals presents extraordinary challenges given their specialized dietary needs and stress susceptibility.
Pangolins experience extreme stress from handling and captivity that can be fatal within days. Their physiology is poorly understood and the specific ants and termites they require vary by species and region. Attempts to substitute commercial ant larvae or other insects frequently fail to provide adequate nutrition. Animals confiscated from traffickers often arrive dehydrated, malnourished and in poor health from cramped transport conditions. Even under expert care at specialist facilities, mortality during rehabilitation is high. For those that survive to release, monitoring shows that many struggle to re-establish territories and foraging routes. The profound suffering involved in the trafficking process - from capture through transport - makes pangolin welfare inseparable from anti-trafficking enforcement.