Two young Flemings have been arrested in Kenya in East Africa. They are suspected of smuggling thousands of living queen ants. According to the Kenyan authorities, the duo intended to sell the coveted creatures in Europe and Asia. Enthusiasts will pay a few hundred euros per ant.
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Two Belgian teens arrested in Kenya, suspected of smuggling thousands of rare ants (VIDEO)
Colin Clapson
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Earlier this month, the two 18-year-olds, from the Mol region of Antwerp Province, were arrested in Kenya. According to local authorities, they were in possession of as many as 5,000 living ants, packed in over 2,200 test tubes and syringes. A Kenyan and a Vietnamese national were also arrested as part of the investigation.
According to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the test tubes were designed so that the ants could survive for up to 2 months while remaining invisible for detection at airports. The KWS speaks of a ‘well-executed premeditated act’ and calls it ‘biopiracy’.
The young men appeared in court in the Kenyan capital Nairobi yesterday where they both pleaded guilty.
‘We did not come here to break laws,’ one of them said. "We did that by accident and stupidity. We are not criminals. We are 18 years old, and we have been naive."
‘We have suffered tremendously in the last few days and after our punishment, we will suffer even more,’ he continued. ‘I know that is a consequence of breaking the law, but I just want to go home to start my life.’
A coveted animal
The ants the young men were transporting are of the Messor cephalotes species, the largest harvester ant in the world.
Queens of the species grow to between 22 and 25 millimetres in length. The animals are only found in Ethiopia, Sudan and Kenya. According to the KWS, the ants are praised for their unusual behaviour, building complex colonies and controlling pests.
In Europe and Asia, they are highly sought after by collectors. On the internet, they are available for around 200 euros each. Potentially the young Flemings could have made hundreds of thousands of euros in profits.
The trial continues on 23 April.