Pangolins are the most trafficked wild mammals globally, with all eight species facing significant welfare harm from poaching, transport, and captivity before entering traditional medicine markets.
Pangolin trafficking creates welfare suffering of extraordinary magnitude for animals whose defense mechanisms make them particularly vulnerable to human exploitation. The pangolin's rolling behavior - effective against most predators - makes capture trivial for humans and transport compressible into small spaces. Trafficked pangolins experience prolonged suffering during transit: dehydration, starvation, temperature stress, and the chronic stress of captivity in species that are difficult to maintain even in the best-equipped zoological facilities. Most die during transit or soon after arrival, meaning the welfare impact extends to the entire population captured rather than just those reaching markets. The collapse of commercial trade protections has not stopped trafficking driven by demand that far exceeds legal alternative supplies.