Two 19-year-old Belgian nationals were charged with wildlife piracy in a Nairobi court on Tuesday for their capture of thousands of ants, marking a rare case of trafficking involving a smaller, lesser-known species. Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx were arrested in Nakuru County on April 5, and authorities found 5,000 ants in a hotel that were subjected to more than 2,200 test tubes. The tubes are allegedly filled with cotton wool, which can help the ants survive for months and be ready for export to Europe and Asia.
The two young men were clearly suffering in court, telling the magistrate that they did not know that collecting ants was illegal and claimed they were “for the sake of entertainment.” During the lawsuit, they were comforted by relatives.
In another case, two other people – Kenyan Dennis Ng’ang and Vietnamese national duh Hung nguyen – were also charged with illegal trafficking because 400 ants were found in their Nairobi residence. Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) identified ant species as Messor Cephalotesa unique red harvester, is from East Africa. KWS accused the four of the people of engaging in the underground wildlife trade, stressing that exporting the species undermined Kenya’s sovereignty over biodiversity and robbed the ecological and economic interests of communities and researchers.
“This marks a shift in trafficking trends – from iconic large mammals to lesser-known but ecologically crucial species,” KWS said in a statement.
Kenyan authorities estimate that the arrested ants are worth 1 million shillings (about $7,700). Experts say the price of ant depends on the species and destination market. Philip Muruthi, vice president of conservation at the African Wildlife Foundation, stressed the ecological importance of ants, calling it “a key contributor to healthy forests” and called it by enriching the soil and supporting the food chain.
He also warned of the risk of spreading cross-border disease through unregulated trade in wildlife: “Even if there is trade, it should be regulated. No one should adopt our resources like this.” The case is still under investigation. Authorities are expected to adopt stronger regulations on lesser-known species due to concerns about biodiversity theft.
