From Vietnam to Belgium: Kenya’s prized ants spark global smuggling wave

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) recently uncovered a bizarre and growing trend in illegal trafficking – the smuggling of one of Kenya’s tiniest natural treasures: ants.

In a courtroom in Nairobi this week, two Belgian teenagers stood nervously beside their relatives, charged with a crime few in Kenya had ever heard of – wildlife piracy involving ants.

The teens, Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19 years old, were arrested on April 5, 2025, in Nakuru County after authorities found them with 5,000 ants – carefully packed into more than 2,200 test tubes, lined with cotton to keep the insects alive for months.

KWS termed the case a landmark, marking a strange but serious turn in the country’s battle against wildlife trafficking.

In a parallel case, Kenyan Dennis Ng’ang’a and Vietnamese national Duh Hung Nguyen were also charged in the same Nairobi courtroom after being caught with 400 ants in their apartment.

All four have pleaded guilty.

The species in question? Messor cephalotes – giant African harvester ants, a highly social species native to East Africa and prized in exotic pet markets abroad.

According to KWS, the ants were destined for Europe and Asia, where collectors [quoted by western outlets] pay as much as $220/Ksh28,490 per queen ant to watch the creatures build sprawling colonies inside formicariums – specialized ant habitats.

“This is Kenya’s first case of bio-piracy at this scale. It signals a disturbing shift in trafficking patterns – from iconic mammals to lesser-known species that are vital to ecological balance,” KWS spokesperson Paul Udoto said.

Authorities say the suspects went to great lengths to evade detection.

The ants were concealed in specially modified test tubes and syringes, and the contents were obscured to avoid customs inspections.

The total haul is still being assessed, but early estimates valued the ant stash at over Ksh1 million.

While the world often associates wildlife trafficking with elephant ivory or rhino horns, this case highlights a growing trend in the black market: the illegal trade in insects and other tiny treasures.

Collectors and breeders, especially in Europe and Asia, are increasingly drawn to the biodiversity of Africa, and in Kenya, ants are emerging as a surprisingly valuable commodity.

Under international biodiversity treaties, Kenya strictly regulates the collection and export of native insect species.

KWS emphasised that the prosecution sends a strong message and is a significant step forward in combating unconventional wildlife crimes.

In court, the Belgian teenagers insisted they had been collecting the ants for fun and claimed ignorance of local laws.

As KWS tighten surveillance and conservationists raise alarm, the global fascination with these rare ants has become a double-edged sword, highlighting Kenya’s unique biodiversity while exposing the vulnerabilities in its wildlife protection framework.

Whether in underground exotic pet markets in Europe or scientific labs in Asia, these tiny creatures have stirred international intrigue.

But unless concrete steps are taken to safeguard precious ants, the country risks losing more than just insects – it stands to lose a vital part of its ecological heritage.