Belgian teens charged with wildlife piracy by Kenya court after found with 5,000 ants
ADVERTISEMENT
Two Belgian teenagers have been charged with wildlife piracy after they were found with thousands of ants packed in test tubes in what Kenyan authorities said was part of a trend in trafficking smaller and lesser known species.
Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19-year-old, were arrested on 5 April with 5,000 ants, appeared distraught during their appearance before a magistrate in Nairobi and were comforted in the courtroom by relatives.
They told the magistrate they were collecting the ants for fun and did not know that it was illegal.
In a separate criminal case, Kenyan Dennis Ng'ang'a and Vietnamese Duh Hung Nguyen were also charged with illegal trafficking in the same courtroom, following their arrest while in possession of 400 ants.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said in a statement that the four men were involved in trafficking the ants to markets in Europe and Asia and that the species included messor cephalotes, a distinctive, large and red-coloured harvester ant native to East Africa.
Vietnamese national Duh Hung Nguyen, left, and Kenyan national Dennis Ng'ang'a at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts in Nairobi, 15 April, 2025
AP Photo
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," KWS said.
Kenya has in the past fought against the trafficking of body parts of larger species of wild animals such as elephants, rhinos and pangolins among others.
But the cases against the four men represent "a shift in trafficking trends — from iconic large mammals to lesser-known yet ecologically critical species," KWS said.
The two Belgians were arrested in Kenya's Nakuru county, which is home to various national parks.
The 5,000 ants were found in the guest house where they were staying and were packed in 2,244 test tubes that had been filled with cotton wool to enable the ants to survive for months.
The other two men were arrested in Nairobi where they were found to have 400 ants in their apartments.
Kenyan authorities valued the ants at one million shillings (€6,819). The prices for ants can vary greatly according to the species and the market.
Relatives hug Belgian national Lornoy David who is charged to related illegal possession and trafficking of live queen ants to sell as exotic pets, 15 April, 2025
AP Photo
Philip Muruthi, a vice president for conservation at the Africa Wildlife Foundation in Nairobi, said ants play an important role in enriching soils, enabling germination and providing food for species such as birds.
"The thing is, when you see a healthy forest, like Ngong 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 said.
Muruthi warned of the risk of trafficking species and exporting diseases to the agricultural industry of the destination countries.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Even if there is trade, it should be regulated and nobody should be taking our resources just like that," he said.
The case has been adjourned until 23 April, after which the court will consider pre-sentencing reports.
Meanwhile, the four smugglers all remain in custody.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
2 days ago
- LeMonde
In Kenya, two young Belgians sentenced for attempting to illegally export around 5,000 ants
David L. and Seppe L., two Belgian teenagers from Mol in the province of Antwerp, became internationally known on April 5: Kenyan police from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, accompanied by inspectors from the Kenya Wildlife Service, discovered about 5,000 ants stored in syringes and test tubes in their hotel room in Naivasha, Northwest of Nairobi. The two friends, ages 19 and 18, claimed at the time that they were unaware that capturing these insects was illegal under Kenyan law and that they were simply pursuing a "hobby." This version has since been widely challenged following investigations by the Belgian press. Appearing before a magistrate on charges of "biopiracy" in mid-April, the two Belgians cited their "stupidity" and "naivety." Appearing in court alongside a Vietnamese and a Kenyan national, they were let off with a relatively light sentence and each was fined €6,800 on May 7, before being allowed to return to Belgium the following day. Highly sought after by enthusiasts Kenyan law imposes fines of up to €140,000, and even prison sentences, for trafficking in species that could disrupt the ecosystem. Penalties can be even harsher elsewhere. An Italian man and his son were fined €188,000 in Sri Lanka for attempting to export various insects in 2024, while in 2019, a Japanese butterfly and cockroach enthusiast was sentenced to two years in prison in Ecuador.
France 24
3 days ago
- France 24
Kenyan policeman arrested in blogger's death as hundreds protest
15:21 Issued on: In tonight's edition, Kenyan authorities arrested a police constable in the death of a political blogger who was in custody, as angry protests rage in Nairobi. Also, Gambians have been growing increasingly worried by the devastation being caused by a growing fishmeal processing industry on their shores. And Nigeria's cost of living crisis has reached the relatively affluent class of dog owners, who are struggling to feed their pets because of soaring food costs.
France 24
5 days ago
- France 24
AU says ratings agency got it wrong in slashing Afreximbank credit score
EYE ON AFRICA 15:14 Issued on: 15:14 min In tonight's edition, shock deepens across the continent's financial sectors over the recent credit rating slash of Kenyan medical examiners said that suicide is unlikely to be the cause of death of a man while in police custody. The autopsy suggests assault, and protests and calls for accountability continue. And in South Africa, communities are changing the way they look after the iconic kelp forests upon which their livelihoods rely.
