Two Belgian teenagers, Lornois David and Seppe Lodeweyckx, were arrested in Kenya on April 5. They were found with over 5,000 ants in test tubes at their home. The teens were charged with trying to smuggle the ants out of Kenya. They appeared in court in Nairobi looking unwell, with their families there to support them.
The ants were stored in 2,244 test tubes, each containing cotton wool to keep them alive for months. David and Lodeweyckx told the judge they had collected the ants as a hobby, unaware it was against the law.
More Arrests Follow
Two other men, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan national, also appeared in court. They were accused of smuggling ants out of Kenya. The Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) said all four men were part of a network sending ants to Europe and Asia.
The ants included species like the Messor cephalotes, a large red ant native to East Africa. Smuggling ants out of Kenya is illegal, as it harms the country’s biodiversity and can have economic and environmental impacts on local communities and research institutions.
A New Challenge for Kenya
Kenya has long fought against the smuggling of large animal parts, such as elephant tusks and rhino horns. Now, authorities are facing a new challenge: the smuggling of smaller, lesser-known species like ants.
The KWS is working to stop this new trend. The case against David, Lodeweyckx, and the other two men is ongoing.
Source: CNN