
Two teens and 5,000 ants: how a smuggling bust shed new light on a booming trade
Poaching busts are familiar territory for the officers of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), an armed force tasked with protecting the country's iconic creatures. But what awaited guards when they descended in early April on a guesthouse in the west of the country was both larger and smaller in scale than the smuggling operations they typically encounter. There were more than 5,000 smuggled animals, caged in their own enclosures. Each one, however, was about the size of a little fingernail: 18-25mm.
The cargo, which two Belgian teenagers had apparently intended to ship to exotic pet markets in Europe and Asia, was ants. Their enclosures were a mixture of test tubes and syringes containing cotton wool – environments that authorities say would keep the insects alive for weeks.
'We did not come here to break any laws. By accident and stupidity we did,' says Lornoy David, one of the Belgian smugglers.
David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19 years old, pleaded guilty after being charged last week with wildlife piracy, alongside two other men in a separate case who were caught smuggling 400 ants. The cases have shed new light on booming global ant trade – and what authorities say is a growing trend of trafficking 'less conspicuous' creatures.
These crimes represent 'a shift in trafficking trends – from iconic large mammals to lesser-known yet ecologically critical species', says a KWS statement.
The unusual case has also trained a spotlight on the niche world of ant-keeping and collecting – a hobby that has boomed over the past decade. The seized species include Messor cephalotes, a large red harvester ant native to east Africa. Queens of the species grow to about 20-24mm long, and the ant sales website Ants R Us describes them as 'many people's dream species', selling them for £99 per colony. The ants are prized by collectors for their unique behaviours and complex colony-building skills, 'traits that make them popular in exotic pet circles, where they are kept in specialised habitats known as formicariums', KWS says.
One online ant vendor, who asked not to be named, says the market is thriving, and there has been a growth in ant-keeping shows, where enthusiasts meet to compare housing and species details. 'Sales volumes have grown almost every year. There are more ant vendors than before, and prices have become more competitive,' he says. 'In today's world, where most people live fast-paced, tech-driven lives, many are disconnected from themselves and their environment. Watching ants in a formicarium can be surprisingly therapeutic,' he says.
David and Lodewijckx will remain in custody until the court considers a pre-sentencing report on 23 April. The ant seller says theirs is a 'landmark case in the field'. 'People travelling to other countries specifically to collect ants and then returning with them is virtually unheard of,' he says.
Scientists have raised concerns that the burgeoning trade in exotic ants could pose a significant biodiversity risk. 'Ants are traded as pets across the globe, but if introduced outside of their native ranges they could become invasive with dire environmental and economic consequences,' researchers conclude in a 2023 paper tracking the ant trade across China. 'The most sought-after ants have higher invasive potential,' they write.
Removing ants from their ecosystems could also be damaging. Illegal exportation 'not only undermines Kenya's sovereign rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities and research institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits', says KWS. Dino Martins, an entomologist and evolutionary biologist in Kenya, says harvester ants are among the most important insects on the African savannah, and any trade in them is bound to have negative consequences for the ecology of the grasslands.
'Harvester ants are seed collectors, and they gather [the seeds] as food for themselves, storing these in their nests. A single large harvester ant colony can collect several kilos of seeds of various grasses a year. In the process of collecting grass seeds, the ants 'drop' a number … dispersing them through the grasslands,' says Martins.
The insects also serve as food for various other species including aardvarks, pangolins and aardwolves.
Martins says he is surprised to see that smugglers feeding the global 'pet' trade are training their sights on Kenya, since 'ants are among the most common and widespread of insects'.
'Insect trade can actually be done more sustainably, through controlled rearing of the insects. This can support livelihoods in rural communities such as the Kipepeo Project which rears butterflies in Kenya,' he says. Locally, the main threats to ants come not from the illegal trade but poisoning from pesticides, habitat destruction and invasive species, says Martins.
Philip Muruthi, a vice-president for conservation at the African Wildlife Foundation in Nairobi, says ants enrich soils, enabling germination and providing food for other species.
'When you see a healthy forest … you don't think about what is making it healthy. It is the relationships all the way from the bacteria to the ants to the bigger things,' he says.

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The Guardian
9 hours ago
- The Guardian
Ballymena's foreigners put up union flags hoping to be spared violence
When the mob comes hunting down Clonavon Road the foreigners who remain entrust their fate to stickers on front doors and flags on windows that signal they are the good foreigners, the foreigners who cause no trouble, and deserve to be spared. 'Filipino lives here,' declare posters with the Filipino flag, pasted as talismans against destruction. Other families have erected union jacks and loyalist bunting in hope of deflecting the crowd's wrath and avoiding selection. 'We put it up yesterday,' said Blanka Harnagea, 38, an immigrant from the Czech republic, indicating the British flag on her living room window. Was it working? A wry smile. 'We're still here.' On a street of scorched, abandoned homes it was a fragile victory because no one knows if the rioting that has scarred the Antrim town of Ballymena this week will abate or continue and spread to other towns in Northern Ireland. Hundreds of people, many masked and hooded, targeted foreign-owned homes and businesses on Monday and Tuesday in a spree of smashing, burning and missile-throwing that turned into assaults on police that left 32 officers injured and several properties and vehicles torched. In the House of Commons, Keir Starmerjoined Northern Ireland politicians in condemning the violence and pleading for calm. But foreign residents in Ballymena still grappled with the decision: flee, or hunker down and hope for the best? 'The crowd was banging on the door and we were all upstairs,' said David, a 28-year-old Polish man who withheld his surname. Two Polish and Bulgarian families –about 12 people in all – had clustered together for safety and wedged a sofa against the front door when the mob smashed windows and set fire to the living room, he said. 'I smelt the smoke. We came down and ran out the back door to the police station.' On Wednesday afternoon the sun shone and debris from the night's mayhem had been cleared away but the food processing plant worker and his pregnant girlfriend were packing and preparing to relocate – just for a few days, they hope, but some members of her family wish to return to Bulgaria. 'I'm here 14 years, never anything like this,' said David. His voice shook. The violence erupted on Monday after a vigil for a teenage girl who was allegedly sexually assaulted by two 14-year-old boys. When they appeared in court a Romanian interpreter read them the charge of attempted rape. The vigil was peaceful but when a crowd broke away and started attacking homes occupied by foreigners on Clonavon Road and nearby streets a full-scale riot erupted, drawing police who then bore the brunt of attacks. Liam Kelly, chair of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, said his members had prevented a pogrom. 'What we saw was totally mindless, unacceptable, and feral.' Some native residents of Ballymena, in contrast, believe it was necessary – an overdue reckoning. Authorities have turned the predominantly Protestant working class town, 25 miles north west of Belfast, into a 'dumping ground' for immigrants and asylum seekers, they said. 'The riots have a valid point; we are being over-populated,' said Danielle O'Neill, 32. 'It sounds like I'm racist but I'm not. It's like an invasion. I don't feel safe walking the streets anymore. Just yesterday one of them was following me and eying me up.' O'Neill credited some arrivals with working hard and creating jobs but she accused others of criminality – a bane that authorities ignored. 'If they can terrorise our kids we can terrorise the town. It's a way of getting our voices heard.' Her husband, Ryan O'Neill, 33, said residents had to take action against alleged criminals. 'If the government won't put them out, we'll put them out.' One resident said rioters – some with paramilitary connections – had ordered householders to deactivate door bell cameras and other devices that might identify those responsible for the mayhem. Proclaiming Filipino nationality has had limited value – at least one Filipino household was targeted and had its car torched. Tyler Hoey, Ballymena's deputy mayor and a Democratic Unionist party councillor, condemned the violence and said foreigners were welcome but accused the UK government of allowing 'busloads' of unvetted people to settle in the town. 'Unfettered immigration needs to be addressed.' Dee, 53, a bottling plant worker, said the rioting reflected a belief that new arrivals received lavish state benefits and that police and politicians turned a blind eye to anti-social behaviour. 'I'm working my balls off and paying my taxes while they get put up in luxury hotels and the police let them do what they want. It's a dumping ground. No one cares about us, we're forgotten.' Dee said he recognised – and welcomed – Catholics from other parts of Ballymena who joined the protests. 'They wouldn't normally be in a loyalist area like this but they came down. It's a very good thing.' Dee regretted that his immediate neighbours – a Slovak family – had their windows smashed. The previous occupants were 'a nightmare' but the Slovaks were 'brilliant' and should not have been targeted. 'They got hit in the heat of the moment. It was a mistake.' Those responsible had apologised and told the family it could stay, said Dee. On an adjoining street Harnagea, the Czech mother of five hoped her newly installed union jack would bolster the protective efforts of her neighbour, a local man. 'He knows we're good people, that we don't do any harm,' she said. 'I think he has explained that to the others.' Even so, as a precaution she has moved documents and other belongings to another location. 'I haven't slept in three days. I don't know if I'll sleep tonight.'


Wales Online
10 hours ago
- Wales Online
Lifeguards 'could have deterred' boy from fatal jump at Welsh beach
Lifeguards 'could have deterred' boy from fatal jump at Welsh beach David Ejimofor, 15, died after getting into trouble in the water off Aberavon Beach in south Wales David Ejimofor (Image: St. Joseph's Catholic School & Sixth Form Centre ) A teenager who drowned at a South Wales beach in a post-exam 'coming of age ceremony' might not have died if a lifeguard had been present, a coroner has said. David Ejimofor, 15, died after getting into trouble in the water off Aberavon Beach, Port Talbot. His family said he jumped into the sea with friends at high tide in what was said to be a well-known local end-of-school-year tradition. 'Vibrant and promising' David was rushed to the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, but he could not be saved. In a prevention of future deaths report, the assistant coroner for Swansea and Neath Port Talbot said the teenager drowned in June 2023 after leaping from the breakwater. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here . Edward Ramsay outlined how no lifeguard was stationed around the pier to stop the dangerous activity, as had been the case in the past. The coroner said he had received no explanation why the measure had been stopped before the tragic incident, and warned future deaths could occur unless safety measures are improved. 'The breakwater should not have been used for that purpose but was known to have been used for that purpose by local children and teenagers, especially in the spring and summer months when the weather was good and the tides were high,' Mr Ramsay said. Article continues below 'In the past, lifeguards had been stationed at or around the pier, at these times, to deter this activity. No lifeguard was present at the time that David jumped. 'Had there been one, it is possible that David would not have jumped and therefore would not have drowned. I was not given, in evidence, a satisfactory or cogent explanation as to why that measure had been removed prior to David's death, nor why that measure continues to be absent today,' the coroner continued. Why we cover inquests – and why it's so important that we do As painful as these proceedings are for those who have lost a loved one the lessons that can be learned from inquests can go a long way to saving others' lives. The press has a legal right to attend inquests and has a responsibility to report on them as part of their duty to uphold the principle of open justice. It's a journalist's duty to make sure the public understands the reasons why someone has died and to make sure their deaths are not kept secret. An inquest report can also clear up any rumours or suspicion surrounding a person's death. But, most importantly of all, an inquest report can draw attention to circumstances which may stop further deaths from happening. Should journalists shy away from attending inquests then an entire arm of the judicial system is not held to account. Inquests can often prompt a wider discussion on serious issues, the most recent of these being mental health and suicide. Editors actively ask and encourage reporters to speak to the family and friends of a person who is the subject of an inquest. Their contributions help us create a clearer picture of the person who died and also provides the opportunity to pay tribute to their loved one. Often families do not wish to speak to the press and of course that decision has to be respected. However, as has been seen by many powerful media campaigns, the input of a person's family and friends can make all the difference in helping to save others. Without the attendance of the press at inquests questions will remain unanswered and lives will be lost. After his death, the teenager's family set up a petition addressed to Neath Port Talbot Council demanding they improve the safeguarding at the beach. But the coroner said he had not been shown 'any evidence that other deterrence measures put in place since David's death (including clearer signage and a limited-height barrier) are otherwise working effectively to reduce the risk.' In a tribute, David's family said he was 'a vibrant and promising young boy' and a beloved 'son, brother, cousin, nephew and friend'. They also described him as 'well-behaved and God-fearing' with an 'unwavering passion for sports and health'. They said: 'He was always striving to be the best version of himself. He has an infectious smile, caring nature, and boundless enthusiasm. He touched the lives of many. 'David's dreams of a bright future were cut short, but his memory will forever live on in the hearts of those who knew and loved him." 'As described by locals, this is a 'yearly coming-of-age ceremony' practised after GCSEs and A-levels that the entire community is aware of,' his family wrote as part of the petition. 'If everyone, including schools, are aware of this practice, surely we would expect the council to have better safeguarding measures in place, especially at this time of year. 'David Ejimofor was not the first to suffer such a fate at the hands of this pier. We do not want David to be another statistic. Article continues below 'We want his name to serve as an end of this unfortunate trail. It is for this reason that we seek change and reform by improving safeguarding measures at Aberavon Beach.' The coroner's report has been sent to Neath Port Talbot Council, Associated British Ports and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, who have 56 days to respond.


Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
All the clues that finally nailed paedo sex pest as prime Maddie McCann suspect
Christian Brueckner has been the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann since 2020, and investigators are in a 'race against time' to charge the convicted sex offender Currently serving a seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of a 72 year old American tourist near where Madeleine McCann vanished, Christian Brueckner has been the official suspect in the British toddler's disappearance since 2020 – yet he has always protested his innocence and has never been formally charged. Now, it appears this 18 year-long search has become the only means left for German authorities to keep the sex offender behind bars. "It's now or never," read a headline in Germany's Bild newspaper this week. Meanwhile, 47 year old Brueckner has made his feelings perfectly clear in an extraordinary interview with German journalist Ulrich Oppold, in which he described looking forward to "a nice steak and beer" upon release. Refusing to answer any questions about Madeleine, he instead admitted he planned to flee if released from prison. Here we break down Brueckner's dark past and how he became the main suspect in the missing case leaving Maddie's family in turmoil. READ MORE: Six major questions raised by Madeleine McCann suspect's letter - from DNA to photos First conviction In 1994, when he was just 17, Brueckner was first convicted of child sexual abuse, attempted abuse, and performing sexual acts in front of a child. But to avoid a youth custody sentence, he fled to Portugal with a girlfriend, prompting a European arrest warrant. After the couple split, Brueckner lived as a drifter, taking on various odd jobs before settling in a dilapidated house near the Praia da Luz resort in the mid-1990s. He frequently returned to the area over the years and has since been linked to the disappearances of seven-year-old Jair Soares and 16-year-old Belgian tourist Carola Titze, both of whom vanished around that period. In 1999, Portuguese authorities eventually apprehended him and returned him to Germany to serve his youth sentence, raising concerns over why he was not monitored more closely afterward. Police evasion Over the next two decades, Brueckner moved between Germany and Portugal, managing to evade criminal proceedings varying from drug trafficking to theft and sexual offences. Witnesses during a later rape trial described him as living a life of petty crime, often targeting holiday apartments with "open windows," the Telegraph reports. The rape for which he is currently imprisoned occurred in 2005. The victim, a 72-year-old American woman, lived in a flat just half a mile from where Madeleine would disappear two years later. Late one night, Brueckner broke into her home, assaulted her with a 30cm scimitar – a short, curved sword – before sexually assaulting her. The rape was investigated in Portugal but the police eventually shelved the case. It was only much later that a former accomplice of Brueckner's, who had stolen diesel with him, which lead to Brueckner's 2006 arrest, discovered a video of the rape and reported it to the police. In late 2019, Brueckner was finally sentenced. The convicted sex offender was reportedly staying in a camper van just several miles away from the apartment the McCanns were staying at when Madeleine vanished. In 2020, police revealed that his phone placed him in the vicinity on the night she disappeared. Brueckner has always denied any involement. Huge investigation 'error' The 48 year old was first associated with Madeleine's case in 2013 after the McCanns appealed for information on the German equivalent of Crimewatch, Aktenzeichen XY. Among around 500 calls, authorities received a credible tip. A former associate matched Brueckner to a sketch of a man seen by the site where Madeleine vanished. Following the McCanns' TV appeal, police in the German town of Braunschweig - Brueckner's residence at the time - sent a letter to Brueckner inviting him to be interviewed as a witness in the "missing person case of Madeleine McCann".. Jon Clarke, a journalist and author of My Search for Madeleine, argues this was a monumental misstep "They messed up, they sent a policeman around to his house and told him he had to appear in a police station three days later to answer questions in the case of Madeleine McCann," Clarke wrote."They actually wrote it on the letter, so he was completely warned, and in those three days who knows what happened?" An officer who spoke to Der Spiegel magazine in Germany also acknowledged the error, saying: "This should not have happened and in no way complies with common procedure in such a delicate case." Clarke suggests that Brueckner's evasion is partly due to the involvement of numerous German police forces, his travels across Germany, as well as trips to Portugal and back, which has led to a lack of communication between agencies. "In different police forces, and it's been very difficult therefore to piece things together," he explained. However, Brueckner's criminal past began to catch up with him. In 2017, he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a child in Germany in 2013 - the five year old daughter of a former girlfriend - and was sentenced to 15 months behind bars. The assault took place in a public park and explicit photos were later discovered on a digital camera when police were probing him for a separate domestic violence allegation. Shock Maddie claim Following his release from prison on sex assault charges, it is reported that Brueckner was in a pub with a friend when televisions broadcasted the 10th-anniversary coverage of Madeleine's disappearance. This allegedly led him to admit that he "knew all about" what had happened to her, before allegedly showing a video of himself raping a woman. It is believed that his friend then reported him to the authorities. In the same year, Helge B, a former friend of Brueckner's, reportedly claimed that the suspect confessed to killing the three-year-old, saying she "didn't scream". Helge once claimed he had stolen a camera and videotapes showing Brückner raping several women - and this evidence helped put him behind bars for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman, a crime he is currently serving a prison sentence in Germany for. While Brueckner's lawyer alleged Helge's testimony was false, these claims were thrown out by a judge. Brueckner was apprehended the following year in Italy and extradited to Germany, this time on a warrant related to drug trafficking. He was imprisoned for 21 months for dealing drugs and subsequently convicted for the rape of his American victim. Bombshell new evidence In 2020, the German prosecutor announced that Madeleine was presumed dead and named Brueckner as the official suspect – marking the first time his name had been publicly disclosed. Investigator Hans Christian Wolters said in 2022: "We are sure he is the murderer of Madeleine McCann". The evidence for the announcement has remained somewhat ambiguous, but last month, a Channel 4 documentary, produced in collaboration with The Sun, unveiled a series of disturbing finds allegedly uncovered by police in 2016 at an abandoned factory once owned by Brueckner in Neuwegersleben, eastern Germany. Among the trove were said to be toys, children's clothing – including 75 girls' swimsuits – as well as chemicals and firearms. Also found were an 80GB hard drive and laptop, USB sticks, and memory cards, some stashed in a Lidl bag beneath the remains of his deceased dog. Reportedly, some of these items contained appalling communications with paedophiles, expressing desires to "capture something small and use it for days" along with images of child abuse. There have even been assertions that there is proof of Madeleine's death. "They are certain that he's the man who did it and they do have evidence that they haven't revealed," Clarke said. However, he clarified that they require all pieces of the puzzle to engage in a "tactical game" with Brueckner, who is backed by formidable legal representation. Brueckner is due to be released from jail in September if no further charges are brought. In October last year, he was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. It comes after German and Portuguese police came together this week to search every property and pieces of land linked to Brueckner, ahead of his September release. This search, the most significant since 2008, included an abandoned farmhouse surrounded by partially collapsed outbuildings. Police were spotted removing mounds of earth from the scene, which was then taken away in plastic bags for further examination. Firemen were also spotted draining an abandoned well. Now, police are investigating samples of 'clothes and bones' found in last week's search, it is claimed. Initial reports suggested the operation - which took place 30 miles from where three-year-old Madeleine went missing in May 2007 - had failed to turn up any new leads. But now, it has been claimed that fragments of clothing and bones are to undergo testing this week after being uncovered at the scene. A source told Berlin Morning Post: 'Several objects have apparently been discovered, which are now being examined in more detail by the police in the laboratory. 'As Portuguese media report, clothing debris and bones were found, among other things. 'The investigators have not officially commented on whether the finds could have anything to do with Madeleine's disappearance but that is clearly their hope.'