Small-scale smuggling: 5,000 ants and a global problem

There's a lot going on here. In Kenya, four young men were found guilty of attempted smuggling of ants. The two Belgians, a Vietnamese, and a Kenyan received fines totaling approximately €6,150. Although the men admitted to possessing the insects, they denied any intention to smuggle them.

The case came to light in April at Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi , when security forces discovered a total of over 5,000 ants in the men's luggage, packed in 2,244 small tubes, which the two 18-year-old Belgians were carrying. The other two convicts stored their ants in cotton-filled syringes.

Rare ant species from East Africa

Police estimated the value of the ants the Belgians were carrying at over 6,800 euros. This was a rather conservative estimate, as the ants included members of the rare Giant African Harvester Ant ( Messor cephalotes ). A single queen of this species is valued at at least 87 euros. But collectors pay far more. The profits of the two smugglers could easily have run into the hundreds of thousands.

The two cases are unrelated, but were tried together. According to the indictment, one of the Belgians is an "ant fan" who kept entire ant colonies at home and was a member of the Facebook group "Ants and Ant Keeping." He stated during police interrogation that he was unaware that transporting ants was illegal.

Biopiracy on a small scale

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) called it a precedent. The smuggling violated the Nagoya Protocol. Possession of wild animals without a permit is a criminal offense in Kenya – and part of a growing global problem: biopiracy .

Biopiracy refers to the commercial use or export of biological material—such as plants, animals, and microorganisms—without adequate compensation or benefit sharing to the country of origin. This deprives local communities and research institutions of potential environmental and economic benefits.

Wildlife smuggling is changing

According to the local wildlife authorities, the case in Kenya also shows that illegal trade could shift from easily identifiable mammals to smaller species in the future.

According to the " World Wildlife Crime Report 2024 " of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the most popular products are ivory , rhino horn, pangolin scales, and, especially in Europe, parrots or reptiles as "pets." Wildlife crime is considered the fourth largest organized crime worldwide.

Insects still make up a smaller proportion. However, according to KWS, the reason the Giant African Harvester Ant is so sought after is because of its unique behavior and its complex colony-building abilities. Collectors keep them for observation in so-called formicaria. The Giant African Harvester Ant is the largest of its species and can grow up to 20 mm in length, with the queen reaching up to 25 mm.

"Smugglers underestimate the ecological value"

In her ruling, Judge Njeri Thuku emphasized that even small animal species must be protected: "Our wildlife, from ants to elephants, sustains our ecosystems and our national heritage," Thuku said. KWS agrees. "Smugglers often underestimate the ecological value of smaller species, but their role in our ecosystem is irreplaceable," the court said in a statement.

That's true. Ants are important players in ecosystems: They improve soils, control pests, spread seeds, and live in ecologically valuable symbioses. If they are introduced into new habitats , the consequences can be potentially fatal.

The red fire ant is a prime example. Native to South America, it is now spreading to Europe, displacing other species and causing massive damage to agriculture and nature. But there are also other representatives, such as the Japanese beetle, the Pacific oyster, the muskrat, and many more.

Danger to humans and animals

However, the illegal trade in wildlife not only increases pressure on endangered species and ecosystems, but also poses serious health risks to humans.

The transport and keeping of live animals – often under unsanitary conditions – can lead to the transmission of so-called zoonoses , diseases that can jump from animals to humans. Examples include salmonella, SARS, Mpox, avian influenza, Ebola, and likely COVID-19.

Around three-quarters of all novel infectious diseases are zoonoses. Researchers currently estimate that mammals and birds alone harbor 540,000 to 850,000 previously undiscovered viruses that have the potential to infect humans.

The German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU) calls wildlife trade a " recipe for pandemics ." Almost half of all new zoonotic diseases that have jumped from animals to humans since 1940 can be traced back to changes in land use, agriculture, or the hunting of wildlife. And this includes the trade in wildlife or its products, even the smallest ones.