# Why are pangolins trafficked?

> Pangolins are trafficked for their scales, meat and perceived medicinal value. Their keratin scales have no proven special medical benefit, but high demand has made pangolins among the most trafficked mammals in the world. This page deepens WARN’s pangolin cluster with a direct trafficking query that can capture searchers before they reach generic encyclopedias.

**Category:** Trafficking  ·  **Updated:** 2026-07-07

## Key takeaways
- Scales, meat and status demand drive pangolin trafficking.
- Pangolin scales are keratin, like nails and hair.
- Slow reproduction makes poaching especially damaging.
- Seized pangolins need specialist rescue and release planning.

## Answer
Pangolins reproduce slowly, so heavy poaching can empty local populations faster than they recover.

Live pangolins seized from trade often arrive dehydrated, injured and stressed, making specialist rehabilitation difficult.

Reducing trafficking requires enforcement, demand reduction and rescue capacity for confiscated animals.

## Why this question matters
Pangolins combine high demand with fragile rescue needs. A seized pangolin is not automatically saved; care quality decides survival.

## The welfare-first answer
The welfare-first answer recognises both trade demand and biology. Pangolins stress easily, feed on ants and termites and cannot be treated like generic mammals.

## What to do next
Support demand reduction, enforcement and specialist rehabilitation. Avoid sharing content that treats pangolins as novelty pets.

## FAQ
### Are pangolin scales medicine?
They are keratin and have no proven special medical power that justifies wildlife crime.

### Why are pangolins hard to rescue?
They have specialist diets, stress easily and may arrive injured or dehydrated.

### Which pangolins are trafficked?
African and Asian pangolin species are affected, with trade routes shifting over time.

## Sources
- [CITES — wildlife trade rules](https://cites.org/eng/disc/what.php)
- [IUCN Red List](https://www.iucnredlist.org/)

Human-readable page: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/answers/why-are-pangolins-trafficked