Ant traffickers in Kenya expose gaps in biodiversity protection
The illegal trade in giant African harvester ants endangers local biodiversity and could spread invasive species in destination countries.
Four men were convicted in May for attempting to smuggle 5 440 giant African harvester ants from Kenya to Europe and Asia. The suspects (from Belgium, Vietnam and Kenya) were ordered to pay US$7 700 each or face a year in jail. While their collection of queen ants was valued at KSh1.2 million (US$9 300) locally, each insect was reportedly worth US$233. Once in their destination countries, the haul would fetch US$1 267 520.
This is not the first time ant smugglers have been charged in Kenya. In 2023, three Kenyans tried to illegally export harvester ants worth KSh300 000 (US$2 321) to France. Both cases involved Messor cephalotes, a species native to East Africa and sought after in the exotic pet trade for its complex colony-building skills and unique social dynamics.
Collectors seek East African ants for their complex colony-building skills and social dynamics
The Kenya Wildlife Service says these incidents mark a disturbing shift and diversification in wildlife trafficking patterns. Now lesser-known species that play a critical role in maintaining ecological balance are being targeted.
According to a customs official at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, ‘termites, frogs and even snake eggs have been found in the bags of suspects leaving the country, which could point to an emerging illicit market trading in smaller species that many regulatory agencies in Africa have not been paying attention to.’
Ant collecting is a growing niche hobby that has emerged over the past decade in Europe, China and Vietnam. Ant aficionados across Asia and Europe routinely organise ant-keeping shows where the characteristics and housing of specific species are admired. Enthusiasts argue that watching ants in their colonies is therapeutic, and they encourage others to take up the ‘fascinating hobby.’
Various websites sell ant species, including from Africa, online. A 2023 paper in Biological Conservation noted 58 937 online ant colony sales in China involving 209 different species. Ants HQ, a United Kingdom-based online ant seller, advertises the African weaver, trap-jaw, red harvester and giant African stink ants – with prices per ant ranging from £17 to £129 (US$23-176).
Lesser-known wildlife species critical for maintaining ecological balance are increasingly being targeted
In the case of the four convicted in Kenya in May, the two Belgians packed over 2 000 test tubes filled with cotton wool to sustain the ants’ survival for months. The Vietnamese national was the ‘courier’ or ‘mule’, and the Kenyan was the broker who connected the foreigners to local networks.
Entomologist Dino Martins told The Guardian that harvester ants are the primary dispersers of grass seeds in the African savannahs. They gather seeds as food for their colonies and drop them as they move around the savannahs, leading to germination. Queen ants are vital for the survival of their colonies, reproducing workers, soldiers and future queen ants. Trafficking queen ants jeopardises ant colonies and harms biodiversity more broadly.
Scientists have noted the increased trade in ants globally, warning that if ants are introduced outside their native ranges, they risk becoming an invasive species with dire environmental consequences. The increased smuggling of Messor cephalotes to southeast China could disrupt agriculture and food production in that region.
This species is neither listed under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), nor assessed for listing as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. That means states are not obliged to track the extent of their trade and population trends.
This regulatory gap does not in itself encourage smuggling. But the absence of species-specific trade controls and population data makes it hard for law enforcement agencies to detect, prevent and prosecute the illegal trade and transactions tied to it.
The lack of species-specific trade controls and data makes it hard for law enforcement agencies to act
However, smuggling live ants does contravene Section 99 of Kenya’s 2013 Wildlife Conservation and Management Act. It also constitutes biopiracy – the exploitation of biological resources without the knowledge and prior consent of the resources’ owners, and without providing fair compensation and benefit sharing.
This means the collection and export of ants without authorisation directly contravenes national biodiversity laws and international access and benefit-sharing principles. The Kenya Wildlife Service also notes that the recently arrested suspects violated the Nagoya Protocol. This global agreement governs access to genetic resources and ensures that the benefits arising from their use are shared fairly and equitably with the country of origin.
Wildlife crime expert Charles Ochieng told the ENACT organised crime project that detecting insect smuggling through airports requires equipment capable of identifying small, ventilated containers designed to sustain live insects during transportation.
Protecting ants from smuggling also requires building community awareness in known harvesting zones, especially as this threat is mostly unseen and involves creatures that many households perceive as a nuisance.
Building local capacity to detect ant harvesting early and report it to the authorities will help to preserve ant colonies in their local habitats. Including smaller species in the global conventions that compel international cooperation targeting destination continents such as Europe and Asia, where ant watching has become popular, is also crucial.
This article was first published by ENACT.
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