Pangolin scales continue to drive poaching despite removal from Chinese and Vietnamese pharmacopoeias, as underground demand persists in communities with deep cultural ties to traditional medicine.
The disconnection between pharmacopoeia removals and actual demand demonstrates that regulatory action alone cannot end the pangolin crisis. Underground markets continue to trade scales despite bans, incentivizing ongoing poaching of animals that suffer terribly in transit and cannot survive in captivity. The welfare case is acute — pangolins are highly sentient mammals undergoing traumatic capture, transport in airless containers, and death in markets. Demand reduction through social norming campaigns, targeting influential community members, has the strongest evidence base for lasting impact.