Kenya Charges Two Men Over Illegal Wildlife Trafficking After Seizure Of 2,000 Live Ants

A court in Kenya has charged two men with illegally transporting wildlife after authorities intercepted more than 2,000 live ants at Nairobi’s main airport.

One of the suspects, Zhang Kequn, a 27-year-old Chinese national, was arrested last week at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport while attempting to leave the country. Court documents revealed that immigration officials had previously flagged his passport with a “stop order” after he allegedly evaded arrest in Kenya the previous year.

Prosecutors also arraigned a second suspect, Charles Mwangi, accusing him of supplying live ants to foreign traffickers. Authorities linked Mwangi to a separate shipment of ants intercepted in Bangkok on March 10, which reportedly originated from the Kenyan port city of Mombasa.

Both men pleaded not guilty before Senior Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi to charges including dealing in wildlife species without a permit. The court ordered that they remain in custody pending further directions scheduled for March 27.

The case has drawn attention to a growing niche market in wildlife trafficking. Ant collectors and enthusiasts are known to pay significant sums for rare species, often keeping them in specialised transparent enclosures known as formicariums, which allow close observation of their intricate social behaviour.

Experts say the incident reflects a broader shift in illegal wildlife trade, with traffickers increasingly targeting lesser-known species rather than traditional high-profile items like elephant ivory.

Last year, four individuals were fined $7,700 each for attempting to smuggle thousands of ants out of Kenya, in a case that underscored concerns about biopiracy and its potential impact on the country’s ecosystem.

Melissa Enoch