Latest news with #SeppeLodewijckx
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Officers stunned after uncovering bizarre smuggling operation led by two teenagers: 'Landmark case in the field'
Authorities found 5,000 smuggled ants that two Belgian teenagers planned to ship overseas to exotic pet markets. In early April, Kenya Wildlife Service officers uncovered the ants in a guesthouse in the western part of the country. According to the Guardian, two Belgian teenagers, Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, intended to ship the ants to Europe and Asia. Pet ants are growing in popularity. An anonymous online ant vendor spoke to the Guardian, saying, "In today's world … many are disconnected from themselves and their environment. Watching ants in a formicarium can be surprisingly therapeutic." The seized ants were mostly Messor cephalotes, a large red harvester species from East Africa. Ants R Us, a site that sells to ant collectors, prices Messor cephalotes at around $265 per colony. David said, "We did not come here to break any laws. By accident and stupidity, we did." The two teens likely don't realize how dangerous an invasive ant species is to an ecosystem. A 2023 paper on the ant trade, published in the journal Biological Conservation, explained that "the most sought-after ants have higher invasive potential." Invasive species topple ecosystems. They push out native creatures, deplete resources, and alter habitats. This reduces biodiversity, threatening food and water security, climate stability, and disease control. Removing species from their natural habitat also disrupts those ecosystems. Every living being, from bacteria to apex predators, plays a vital role, and ants are especially important. Dino Martins, an entomologist and evolutionary biologist in Kenya, told the Guardian that harvest ants are a crucial insect. On the African savannah, they support plant germination, contribute to soil nutrients, and create food sources for other animals. Taking them from their natural habitat could cripple these environments, and introducing them elsewhere can harm ecosystems. In short, the illegal ant market is a recipe for global disaster. Do you think we still have a lot to learn from ancient cultures? Definitely Only on certain topics I'm not sure No — not really Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Authorities are trying to stop illegal ant trading and smuggling before it becomes more severe. But this case shows how it's growing. The anonymous ant seller called this a "landmark case in the field," and noted that, "people traveling to other countries specifically to collect ants and then returning with them is virtually unheard of." In 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a message urging ant keepers to be responsible and cautious. The message said, "Although ant keeping is an exciting hobby, ant keepers must understand the risks." People should thoroughly research ant vendors and species before purchasing, and take extra care to prevent exotic ants from being released into nature. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Yahoo
Two teenagers found with 5,000 ants could serve 12 months in prison
Two Belgian teenagers who were found with 5,000 ants in Kenya have been fined $7,700 or the option to serve 12 months in prison for violating wildlife conservation laws. Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19, were arrested on April 5 and charged 10 days later after Kenyan authorities discovered the ants packed in test tubes at the guest house where they were staying. Authorities said the ants were destined for European and Asian markets in an emerging trend of trafficking lesser-known wildlife species. Magistrate Njeri Thuku, sitting at the court in Kenya's main airport, delivered her ruling on Wednesday. She said that despite the teenagers telling the court they were naïve and collecting the ants as a hobby, the particular species of ants they collected is valuable and they had thousands of them — not just a few. The sentence is considered the maximum penalty for the offence. The Kenya Wildlife Service had said the teenagers were involved in trafficking the ants to markets in Europe and Asia, and that the species included messor cephalotes, a distinctive, large and red-colored harvester ant native to East Africa. 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 in a statement. 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. Philip Muruthi, a vice president for conservation at the Africa Wildlife Foundation in Nairobi, previously said the ants play the role of 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. 'Even if there is trade, it should be regulated and nobody should be taking our resources just like that,' he said.
ABC News
10-05-2025
- ABC News
Two teens, 5,000 ants and the new frontier of the wildlife black market
Outside a Kenyan court, two shell-shocked teenagers were comforted by their families. "We are not criminals, we are 18 years old, we are naive, and I just want to go home to start my life," one said. Their crime? Ant smuggling. Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx claimed they had collected the ants for "fun" and didn't know it was illegal when authorities descended on their guest house in Kenya last month. The young men, originally from Belgium, were found to be in possession of about 5,000 ants, including messor cephalotes — a distinctive, large and rose-coloured harvester ant native to East Africa. The teenagers' lawyer would later claim they had been collecting the ants as a hobby, but the Kenya Wildlife Service charged them with planning to traffic the ants to markets in Europe and Asia. It said the teenagers had packed the ants into about 2,200 test tubes filled with cotton wool to help them survive, and the value of the seizure would equate to about 1.2 million Kenyan shillings ($14,367). Magistrate Njeri Thuku gave the young men the option of either paying about 1 million Kenyan shillings fine, or serving 12 months in prison over the seizure. "This is beyond a hobby," Magistrate Thuku said. "Indeed, there is a biting shortage of messor cephalotes online." Two other men were also charged last month over attempting to traffic ants. The Kenyan Wildlife Authority said they had about 400 stashed in their apartments, which equated to about $1 million Kenyan shillings. Reuters reported if the ants seized from the teenagers' raid and the second raid were able to make it to European shores, it would have fetched about 124 million Kenyan shillings. One of Kenyan's leading insect experts Dino Martins said the value of the ants would have gone up depending on where they were shipped, particularly because at least 90 per cent would have died during transit. "The price of cocaine in Colombia versus getting a kilogram in the European market is such a big value addition, that's why people do it." The Kenya Wildlife Service director Erustus Kanga said the cases marked a turn away from big game trade on the black market. "This case represents far more than insect smuggling," he said. "We're seeing organised crime syndicates diversify from traditional ivory poaching to target our entire biodiversity — from medicinal plants, insects to micro-organisms." It's a trend noticed by the University of Adelaide's Wildlife Crime Research Hub expert Charlotte Lassaline. "Increased online connectivity has made it significantly easier to access non-native species, often with limited regulation, varying degrees of anonymity, and minimal traceability. "At the same time, rising living costs and urbanisation have driven more people into smaller living spaces, such as apartments, where traditional pets like dogs and cats may be impractical due to space or expense. "As a result, there is growing interest in more unusual yet easier-to-keep pets — particularly terrestrial invertebrates, such as ants, large burrowing cockroaches, snails, spiders, and scorpions." Ms Lassaline said some rare queen ants, which were essential to establishing a colony, could sell for up to more than 33,000 Kenyan shillings. "Their high demand and limited availability make them especially vulnerable to illegal collection and poaching," she said. Ms Lassaline, who works tracking the illegal trade of animals in Australia and abroad, said it was particularly concerning to see ants were being targeted by traffickers. "Australian ant species are not only being sought after by hobbyists and collectors, but that their growing popularity could leave them vulnerable to illegal collection and poaching," she said. "Despite their size, ants play a big role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. "Disrupting their populations through unregulated trade or overharvesting could have far-reaching ecological consequences."
New York Post
09-05-2025
- New York Post
Ant gang busted in bizarre insect trafficking ring
Two teens from Belgium were busted trying to smuggle roughly 5,000 queen ants out of Kenya. Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19, claimed it was just innocent hobby, before accepting their fate: a fine of $7,700 each or one year in prison. Find out all the details of this wild 'sting' operation in the latest episode of "Weird But True" from The Post.
Ammon
08-05-2025
- Ammon
Two teenagers found with 5,000 ants could serve 12 months in prison
Ammon News - Two Belgian teenagers who were found with 5,000 ants in Kenya have been fined $7,700 or the option to serve 12 months in prison for violating wildlife conservation laws. Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19, were arrested on April 5 and charged 10 days later after Kenyan authorities discovered the ants packed in test tubes at the guest house where they were staying. Authorities said the ants were destined for European and Asian markets in an emerging trend of trafficking lesser-known wildlife species. Independent
