Kenyan Authorities Brought Four Men, Including Two Belgian Teenagers, Before Court on Tuesday, Chared with Wildlife Piracy Over The Smuggling Of Ants.
The Trafficking of Body Parts of Larger Species of Wild Animals is Common in Kenya, with Authorities within the Previous Combating The Contraband of Body Components of Elephants, Rhinocerouses and Pangolins, Among Others.
But the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Descred this Case as “A Shift in Trafficking Trends-from Iconic Large Mammal to Lesser-Known Yet Ecological Critical Species.”
What will we perceive Concerning the Ant Smuggling Case?
Two Belgian 19-Year-Olds Were Arrested on April 5 While in Possession of 5000 Live Ants Packed in 2.244 Syringes and Test Tubes Filled Withcotton Wool The Ants In Question Are The Sough-After Messor Cephalotes Species So Known as The Giant African Harvester Ant.
Kenyan Authorities, which Valued the Ants at 1 million Shillings ($ 7,700, EUR 6.819), Said the Tubes Were Modified to Help the Ants Survive for Up Months and Evade Airport Security.
“Cotton Wool was used to Maintain the Ants’ Survival During Transit, Indicating A Premeditated and Well-Execued Trafficking Operation,” The KWS Said in A Statement Shared On X.
Entering the Country on Tourist Visas, The KWs Said the Suspects “Intended To Smuggle The Ants To High-Value Exotic Pet Markets in Europe and Asia, Demand for Rare Insect Species is Rising.”
Two Various different Suspects, A Vietnamese and a Kenyan, so Be Stez Pursued Trafficking Following Their Arrest in Nairobi While in Possession of 400 Ants.
What did the Suspects Say?
The KWS Said the Four Suspects Pleaded Guilty in A Court Session on Monday.
The Associated Press News Agency Said the Twian Told The Court They Were Collecting the Ants for Fun And Did not Realize Their Actions Were Illegal.
“We did not come here to break. BY Accident and Stupidity We did,” The Reuters News Agency Quoted One of the Belgian Smugglers as Saying, Pleading with the Court to Show Lency.
The Court adjourned the Case Until April 23, with the Smugglers Staying in Custody.
What is the Large African Farmer Ant?
The purple, Large Harvester Ant is Belonging Toeast Africa the KWs Descrbebe Theme as “Prized by Collectors for their Unique Behavior, Colony-Building Capabilities, and Greenhouse Pest Control.”
The Specialist British Retailer Antsrus Said the Species Are “Truly Amazing To Visually Observa,” Listing the Price of a Live Queen As 99.99 Pounds Sterling ($ 132.44, EUR 117).
“Messor Cephalotes are many people’s dream species. Queens are around 20-24mm Long and Have a Beautiful Red and Brown/Black Coloration,” The Retailer Said
Ants are a Favorite Species Among Many Aficionados, Who Enjoy Keeping Them in Transparent Cases and Watching Them Build Colonies.
Reuters Spoke to an Unnameed Source within the Ant Trade, Who Said Suppliers Needed a License from the kws and a well being certificates with a purpose to export the species, which he known as in demand and exhausting to amass.
The Unlawful Export of the Ants “Not only Undermines Kenya’s Rights Over It Biodiversity But So Deprives Local Communities and Research Institutions of Potential Ecological and Eonomic Benefits,” The KWS Claimed.
Edited by: Alex Berry
