Wildlife trafficking causes profound welfare suffering for individual animals through capture stress, mortality in transit and inadequate conditions in destination countries.
The welfare impact of wildlife trafficking operates at every stage - capture methods including snares, traps and net capture cause injury and terror. Conditions during transport in concealed compartments cause dehydration, overheating and asphyxiation. Animals that survive face long-term psychological and physical trauma. Addressing demand for wildlife products is as important as enforcement for reducing this suffering.