Pangolins are the world's most trafficked mammal, and their extreme difficulty in captivity makes zoo welfare profoundly challenging with most captive pangolins surviving less than a year.
Pangolin captive welfare remains one of the most challenging problems in zoo medicine. The combination of specialist diet, stress sensitivity, solitary nature and nocturnal behaviour means most zoo environments are fundamentally unsuitable. Institutions holding pangolins must commit to exceptional specialised care. The welfare case for keeping pangolins in zoos is questionable unless it serves direct conservation outcomes.