A Kenyan court has convicted four men, including two Belgian teenagers, a Vietnamese man, and a Kenyan national, for attempting to traffic thousands of giant African harvester ant queens out of the country.
Each defendant was fined $7,700, or face 12 months in jail.
The ants, valued at approximately $9,300 (1.2 million Kenyan shillings), were seized on April 5.
However, experts estimate the haul could have fetched up to $1 million on European shores, where ant enthusiasts maintain colonies in specialized vessels called formicariums to study their cooperative behavior.
This case highlights a concerning trend in biopiracy, shifting focus from iconic animals like elephants to lesser-known species.
Magistrate Njeri Thuku handed down the verdict after the defendants pleaded guilty to illegal possession and trafficking of the protected insects.
