Kenyan court tries Belgian teens on ant smuggling charges

Kenyan authorities brought four men, including two Belgian teenagers, before court on Tuesday, charged with wildlife piracy over the smuggling of ants.

The trafficking of body parts of larger species of wild animals is common in Kenya, with authorities in the past combating the smuggling of body parts of elephants, rhinos and pangolins, among others.

But the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) described this case as “a shift in trafficking trends — from iconic large mammals to lesser-known yet ecologically critical species.”

Two Belgian 19-year-olds were arrested on April 5 while in possession of 5,000 live ants packed in 2,244 syringes and test tubes filled with cotton wool. The ants in question are the sought-after Messor Cephalotes species also known as the Giant African Harvester Ant.

Two other suspects, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan, were also being tried for trafficking following their arrest in Nairobi while in possession of 400 ants.

The red, large harvester ant is native to East Africa. The KWS describes them as “prized by collectors for their unique behavior, complex colony-building capabilities, and greenhouse pest control.”

Read more: Deutsche Welle