Chinese national jailed for smuggling ants out of Kenya
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Nairobi: A Kenyan court on Wednesday sentenced a Chinese national, Zhang Kequn, to one year in prison after finding him guilty of illegally possessing wildlife, specifically hundreds of live ants stored in specialised tubes.
The court also imposed a fine of 1 million Kenyan shillings (approximately USD 7,700) after Kequn pleaded guilty to the charge of possessing wildlife without a valid licence.
Kenyan authorities have previously taken similar action in cases involving the illegal possession of ants. Last year, Belgian teenagers were fined after being found with queen ants, which are considered delicacies and are also kept as pets in parts of Europe and Asia.
Kequn had been charged alongside a Kenyan national, Charles Mwangi, who pleaded not guilty and was released on cash bail.
According to prosecutors, Kequn sourced the ants from Mwangi, allegedly paying 60,000 Kenyan shillings (USD 463) for an initial batch of 600 ants and 70,000 shillings (USD 540) for a second batch of 700 ants.
The two suspects were arrested on March 10 after authorities found them in possession of 1,948 garden ants stored in specialised tubes, along with an additional 300 ants concealed in tissue rolls.
Prosecutors stated that the accused did not possess the permits required under Kenya’s wildlife conservation laws to handle or trade such species.
Authorities have noted a growing trend in wildlife trafficking involving smaller and lesser-known species. In a similar case last year, two Belgian teenagers were charged with wildlife piracy after being found with 5,000 ants stored in test tubes, which were reportedly destined for markets in Europe and Asia. Kenyan officials had valued the seized ants at around 1 million Kenyan shillings (USD 7,700).
With PTI inputs