Two Belgian teenagers were accused on Tuesday of wild animal piracy after being found with thousands of ants packed in rehearsal tubes, which, according to Kenyan authorities, is part of a trend for trafficking in smaller and less known species.
Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, two 19 -year -olds who were arrested on April 5 with five thousand ants in a guest house, seemed disturbed during their partner before a magistrate in Nairobi and were comforted in the family room for family members. They told the magistrate that they were catching their ants for fun and that they did not know that it was illegal.
In a separate criminal proceedings, the Kenyan Dennis Ng’ang’a and the Vietnamese Duh Hung Nguyen were also accused of illegal trafficking in the same court after being detained in possession of 400 ants.
The Wildlife Service of Kenia (KWS) stated that the four men were involved in market trafficking for markets in Europe and Asia, and that species included the distinct, large, native, native and red -colored messor of eastern Africa.
Not only the illegal export of the ants, “not only compromises Keny’s sovereign rights over their biodiversity, but also deprives local communities and research institutions for potential ecological and economic benefits,” KWS said in a statement.
LORNOY DAVID AND SEPPE LODEWIJCKX IN COURT (BRIAN INGANGA/AP)
In the past, Kenya fought trafficking in parts of the body of larger species of wild animals, such as elephants, rhinos and pangolins, among others. But the cases against the four men represent “a change in trafficking trends – from large iconic mammals to less known but ecologically critical species,” KWS said.
The two Belgians were arrested in Nakuru County, Kenya, where several national parks are located. The five thousand ants were found in a guest house where they were housed and were packed in 2,244 rehearsal tubes that had been filled with cotton to allow ants to survive for months.
The other two men were arrested in Nairobi, where they were found to have 400 ants in their apartments.
The Kenyan authorities evaluated the ants in one million Xelins (about seven thousand euros). Ant prices can vary greatly depending on the species and the market.
Philip Muruthi, vice president for the conservation of Africa Wildlife Foundation in Nairobi, said ants play the role of enriching soils, allowing germination and providing food for species such as birds.
“The problem is that when we see a healthy forest, such as the NGong forest, we don’t think about what is making it healthy. It’s the relationships that are established all the way, from bacteria to ants and bigger things,” he said.
Muruthi warned of the risk of species trafficking and disease exports to the agricultural sector of destination countries.
“Even if there is a trade, it must be regulated and no one should appropriate our resources,” he said.
