Four men were sentenced to one year in prison or a $7,700 fine for attempting to smuggle thousands of live queen ants out of Kenya. The ants, intended for collectors in Europe and Asia, included a rare East African species. Two Belgian teenagers, unaware of the legality, were among those arrested. The Kenya Wildlife Service highlighted the environmental and economic harm caused by such illegal trafficking.

A court in Kenya has handed down a sentence of one year in prison or a fine of $7,700 to four men found guilty of attempting to smuggle thousands of live queen ants out of the country.

According to authorities, the ants—giant in size—were intended for collectors in Europe and Asia, indicating a growing trend in the trafficking of lesser-known wildlife species. Two of the accused are Belgian teenagers who informed the court that they were collecting the ants as a hobby and were unaware that their actions were illegal.

The two teenagers, identified as Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both aged 19, were apprehended on April 5 while in possession of 5,000 ants at a guest house located in Nakuru County. This region is known for its abundance of national parks and diverse wildlife.

In her ruling delivered on Wednesday, Magistrate Njeri Thuku stated that although the teenagers claimed they were simply engaging in a hobby and acted out of ignorance, the fact remained that the ants they collected were valuable. The teenagers had thousands of them, not just a few, which made their actions significant. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) reported that the species they possessed included a large, red-colored harvester ant that is native to East Africa.

The teenagers' lawyer, Halima Nyakinyua, described the sentencing as “fair” and mentioned that her clients would not be appealing the decision. “When the statutes prescribe a specific minimum amount, the court cannot go lower than that. So, even if we went to the court of appeal, the court is not going to revise that,” she explained.

The Kenya Wildlife Service also emphasized in a statement that the illegal export of the ants “not only undermines Kenya’s sovereign rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities and research institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits.”

In a separate but related case, a Vietnamese national and a Kenyan man were given the same sentence after being caught with 400 ants. Duh Hung Nguyen, the Vietnamese national, told the court that he had been sent to pick up the ants, while the Kenyan, Dennis Ng'ang'a, stated that he didn’t realize it was illegal, as ants are sold and consumed locally.