NAIROBI, Kenya — A Kenyan court handed down a one-year prison sentence Wednesday to a Chinese citizen who admitted to unlawfully possessing wildlife after authorities discovered hundreds of live ants in his possession stored in special containers.
Zhang Kequn received the jail term and must pay a fine of 1 million Kenyan shillings (equivalent to $7,700) after entering a guilty plea to charges of possessing wildlife without proper authorization.
This case follows similar incidents in Kenya, where Belgian youth were previously penalized for having queen ants in their possession. These insects are sought after as food delicacies and exotic pets in European and Asian countries.
Kequn faced charges together with Kenyan citizen Charles Mwangi, who entered a not guilty plea to the same violations and was freed after posting bail.
According to prosecution evidence, Kequn had been obtaining the ants through Mwangi, reportedly paying 60,000 Kenyan shillings ($463) for a first shipment of 600 ants, followed by 70,000 shillings ($540) for a second batch containing 700 insects.
Law enforcement officials apprehended both men on March 10 when they discovered them with 1,948 garden ants contained in special tubes, plus another 300 ants wrapped in tissue paper. Prosecutors stated the defendants lacked the necessary documentation required by Kenya’s wildlife protection regulations for handling or selling these species.
In a similar case last year, two teenage visitors from Belgium faced wildlife piracy charges in what Kenyan officials identified as part of an emerging pattern involving the illegal trade of smaller, less recognized animal species. Authorities found them carrying 5,000 ants in laboratory tubes. Officials said the insects were bound for European and Asian buyers, with Kenyan authorities placing their value at 1 million shillings ($7,700).
