A Kenyan court has sentenced a Chinese national, Zhang Kequn, to a fine of 1 million shillings (about $7,746) and a 12-month prison term for attempting to smuggle over 2,200 live garden ants out of the country. He was arrested last month at Nairobi’s main international airport after the insects were discovered in his luggage.
Zhang initially denied the charges of dealing in live wildlife species but later changed his plea to guilty. His lawyer, however, has indicated that an appeal may be filed against the sentence.
Presiding magistrate Irene Gichobi said a tough penalty was necessary to deter the rising trend of ant trafficking in Kenya.
The ants are often sold in international markets, including China, where collectors pay high prices to keep colonies in transparent enclosures known as formicariums for observation. The court noted that large-scale harvesting of such insects poses ecological risks and reflects a shift in illegal wildlife trade from well-known items like ivory to lesser-known species.
The case also involves a Kenyan, Charles Mwangi, who is accused of supplying the ants to Zhang. Mwangi has pleaded not guilty and is currently on bail, with his trial set to proceed separately.
The ruling follows a similar case last year in which four individuals were fined for trafficking thousands of ants, highlighting increased efforts by Kenyan authorities to curb illegal exploitation of the country’s biodiversity.
