2 men charged with illegal wildlife trade after hundreds of ants seized in Kenya

Nairobi, Kenya—A Chinese national and a Kenyan man were charged Tuesday in the capital, Nairobi, after authorities said they were unlawfully dealing in wildlife species that include live ants stored in specialized tubes.

The Associated Press reported that Zhang Kequn and Charles Mwangi appeared in court on Tuesday. Prosecutors charged both men with illegally dealing in wildlife and also brought a conspiracy-to-commit-a-felony charge.

Prosecutors said Kequn was sourcing the ants from Mwangi, alleging the arrangement involved payments of 60,000 Kenyan shillings (about $463) for an initial batch of 600 ants and 70,000 shillings (about $540) for another batch of 700. In court, prosecutors also alleged that Mwangi was found with additional live ants.

Kenyan authorities said the suspects were arrested on March 10. Prosecutors said officers found 1,948 garden ants stored in specialized tubes, along with an additional 300 ants in tissue rolls. They said the men did not have the permits required under Kenya’s wildlife conservation laws to handle or trade such species.

Kequn’s attorney, David Lusweti, told the Associated Press that the suspects did not know they were breaking the law. Lusweti said they believed they could sell the ants and make a living from it.

The case was described as the latest in a pattern of Kenyan ant-trafficking cases. The AP reported that Kenyan authorities said last year they were seeing an increasing trend in the trafficking of ants to markets in Europe and Asia, though officials have not said whether the ants are sought for pets or other purposes.

The AP also cited a prior case involving two Belgian teenagers charged last year with wildlife piracy. In that case, Kenyan authorities said the teenagers were found with 5,000 ants in test tubes, and Kenyan authorities valued the ants at 1 million shillings (about $7,700).

That earlier case drew criticism from Kenya’s wildlife service. The AP reported that the Kenya Wildlife Service said the illegal export of the ants “not only undermines Kenya’s sovereign rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities and research institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits.”

In addition, the AP reported that another criminal case last year involved a Kenyan man and a Vietnamese national who were charged with illegal trafficking for possession of 400 ants.