Kenya Court Fines Four Including Teenage Belgians for Illegal Ants Export

A Kenyan court has imposed a substantial fine on four individuals, including two teenagers from Belgium, for attempting to illicitly export a large quantity of live ants from the country.

The incident has drawn glob attention, with the Kenyan Wildlife Service alleging that the group engaged in “biological exploitation”.

The two Belgian nationals, David Lornoy and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 18 years old, were found in possession of a substantial number of queen ants, totaling 5,000, which were carefully packaged in tubes. Meanwhile, their accomplices, Duh Hung Nguyen from Vietnam and Dennis Nganga from Kenya, were discovered with ants stored in syringes and containers.

Although the two cases were separate, the four individuals were tried jointly. Lornoy, an avid ant collector, claimed he was unaware that transporting the ants was against the law. The authorities estimated the value of the seized ants to be approximately $7,740.

The confiscated ants included a rare species, Messor cephalotes, which can command a high price on the black market. In fact, a single queen ant of this species can sell for at least $99.

In Kenya, possessing wildlife specimens without proper authorization is a serious offense, punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and a prison sentence of five years or more.

The court ultimately handed down a fine of $7,740 to each of the four individuals, with the option to serve a one-year prison sentence if the fine is not paid.

The court’s decision took into account that Lornoy and Lodewijckx were not typical wildlife traffickers, but rather enthusiasts who were ignorant of the laws governing the export of wildlife.

However, the court also acknowledged that the case reflected a broader pattern of exploitation, where African resources are plundered by external parties for financial gain.

The Kenyan Wildlife Service condemned the actions of the four individuals, stating that their attempt to smuggle the ants constituted not only a wildlife crime but also a form of “biological theft”.

The agency noted that the demand for rare insect species is increasing in high-end exotic pet markets in Europe and Asia, driving the illicit trade in these creatures.