Wildlife

Pangolin Conservation Welfare: The World's Most Trafficked Mammal

All eight pangolin species are threatened by trafficking for meat and scales. Welfare challenges occur across the capture, transport, and captive care stages of the illegal trade.

Key Facts

An estimated 1 million pangolins were trafficked in the decade to 2020
Pangolin scales are falsely believed to have medicinal properties in traditional medicine
Captured pangolins often die from stress and unsuitable diets in transit and captivity
Pangolins are highly specialised insectivores very difficult to maintain in captivity
Conservation breeding programmes have had extremely limited success globally
CITES Appendix I listing protects all pangolin species but enforcement is weak

Welfare Considerations

Pangolin welfare in the illegal trade is catastrophic. Captured animals experience transport in cramped sacks, deprivation of specialised food, and profound stress. Captive mortality from shock and inappropriate feeding is extremely high. The specialised nature of pangolins makes rehabilitation and release very difficult even when animals are confiscated alive. Prevention through demand reduction is far more effective than rescue.

What You Can Do

Support Save Pangolins and TRAFFIC in demand reduction campaigns
Avoid traditional medicines containing or claiming to contain pangolin ingredients
Report suspected pangolin products to the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit