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Wildlife rescue · Pangolins

Donate to Pangolin Rescue

Donate to pangolin rescue through WARN — seizure triage, specialist rehabilitation and release monitoring for Sunda and Indian pangolins via partner grants in Malaysia, Indonesia and Pakistan.

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A rescued pangolin — donation funds partner-led triage and rehabilitation

In brief

You can donate to pangolin rescue through WARN at pangolin appeal — gifts fund partner-led seizure triage, low-stress rehabilitation and release monitoring for Sunda pangolins in Malaysia and Indonesia and Indian pangolins in regional trafficking context.

8

Pangolin species worldwide

1M+

Estimated trafficked in a decade

2016

CITES commercial trade ban

Appendix I

All species listed

Guide 1

Why Pangolins Need Urgent Rescue Funding

All eight pangolin species are CITES Appendix I — commercial international trade is banned — yet an estimated one million were trafficked in the decade before 2016. Live pangolins seized at ports need immediate triage; scales move through separate criminal routes. Rescue capacity at seizure points saves lives.

Guide 2

What Pangolin Rescue Involves

Confiscated pangolins need quiet, low-stress assessment, ant and termite feeding trials, wound care and rapid release decisions. Pangolins cannot survive long in ordinary captivity. Partners specialise in short rehabilitation and secure habitat release with monitoring.

Guide 3

Where WARN Pangolin Grants Go

Malaysia and Indonesia are primary Sunda pangolin rescue countries in the 17-country network. Pakistan appears in Indian pangolin trafficking context. Donate at pangolin appeal or adopt symbolically at adopt a pangolin from £5/month.

Guide 4

UK and International Donor Routes

Donate in GBP, USD or EUR at donate directed to pangolins, or adopt at adopt a pangolin. Every gift is receipted. See pangolin rescue malaysia and what happens to seized pangolins for programme depth.

Guide 5

Trafficking and Customs Detection

Port Klang, Kuala Lumpur airports and regional road routes move pangolins and scales. Partner grants fund customs detection support and post-seizure veterinary placement — preventing animals returning to traders.

Guide 6

Monthly Giving for Pangolin Partners

Predictable income lets rehabilitation partners maintain specialist feeding capacity and quarantine pens year-round — not only after high-profile seizures. Monthly adoption at adopt a pangolin supports this base.

Guide 7

Pangolin Rescue Across Three Network Countries

Malaysia and Indonesia concentrate Sunda pangolin rescue; Pakistan appears in Indian pangolin trafficking context. All pangolin gifts pool through pangolin appeal for triage, rehabilitation and release monitoring.

Explore Related Rescue Work

Wildlife guide

Pangolin

Pangolins are the world's most heavily trafficked wild mammals; all eight species are threatened by illegal trade in their keratin scales, used in traditional medicine across Asia, with the Chinese and Sunda pangolins now Critically Endangered.

Country programme

Indonesia

Indonesia is a Southeast Asian archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, home to Bornean and Sumatran orangutans, Sumatran tigers, Javan and Sumatran rhinos, the Komodo dragon and the sun bear; its wildlife is under sustained pressure from palm-oil and pulpwood deforestation, the illegal pet trade, and one of the world's largest contributions to marine plastic.

Country programme

Malaysia

Malaysia is a Southeast Asian range state for Bornean orangutans (Sabah), sun bears, Sunda pangolins, clouded leopards and the Malayan tiger; it is a top-tier transit country for trafficked wildlife, with Kuala Lumpur's airports and the Port Klang container hub repeatedly identified by UNODC as wildlife-crime chokepoints.

Country programme

Pakistan

Pakistan is a South Asian country where WARN's planned work focuses on humane street-dog management in Karachi and Lahore through catch-neuter-vaccinate-release clinics, mobile working-equine clinics in industrial districts, and supporting partner work on the snow leopard in the country's high north.

Source Notes

WARN uses named intergovernmental, conservation and animal-welfare sources for numeric claims. These notes summarise the source basis for this page.

CITES

All pangolin species on Appendix I — commercial international trade prohibited.

IUCN Red List

Asian pangolin species threatened with extinction.

UNODC wildlife crime reporting

Malaysia and Indonesia as source, transit and seizure locations.

Donate to Pangolin Rescue: Frequently Asked Questions

How do I donate to pangolin rescue?
Donate at pangolin appeal or adopt at adopt a pangolin from £5/month.
Why are pangolins trafficked?
For scales used in some traditional medicine markets and meat sold as luxury wildlife product. Scales are keratin — the same protein as human fingernails.
Can rescued pangolins be released?
Yes, when healthy, not habituated and able to forage naturally. Injured animals need specialist rehabilitation first.
Does WARN run pangolin sanctuaries?
No. WARN grants to established rehabilitation partners in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Can I adopt a pangolin from the UK?
Yes — symbolic adoption at adopt a pangolin from £5/month supports the whole programme.
Which countries does WARN fund for pangolins?
Malaysia and Indonesia for Sunda pangolin rescue; Pakistan in Indian pangolin trafficking context.
Is pangolin trade legal?
Commercial international trade in all eight species is banned under CITES Appendix I.
How many pangolins are left?
All Asian pangolin species are threatened with extinction on the IUCN Red List; exact wild counts are difficult to estimate due to nocturnal behaviour.
Are pangolins the most trafficked mammal?
Yes — all eight species are CITES Appendix I, yet an estimated one million were trafficked in the decade before the 2016 commercial ban.

Help Fund Frontline Rescue

World Animal Rescue Network CIC (Company no. 17298990) raises funds for established local partners. Your support helps build the rescue capacity these animals need.

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