Chinese National Charged in Kenya Over Attempted Smuggling of Over 2,000 Live Ants
Nairobi. A Chinese national has been charged in Kenya. Zhang Kekun and his Kenyan associate Charles Mwangi have been charged in a wildlife trafficking case.
The two were arrested while attempting to smuggle over 2,000 live Queen Garden ants out of Kenya. Zhang Kekun was arrested last week at the international airport in the capital, Nairobi. Over 2,000 live ants were found in test tubes wrapped in tissue in his bag.
It was stated in a Nairobi court on Tuesday that Zhang paid Mwangi 10,000 Kenyan shillings for every hundred ants. Kenyan authorities have been warning about the growing demand for Queen Garden ants in Europe and Asia, where some people keep them as pets. Although officials suspect Zhang was attempting to take the ants for a similar purpose, his exact motive remains unknown. Zhang was traveling to China with the ants.
Authorities have also charged both Zhang and Mwangi with serious crimes. They have pleaded not guilty. Zhang and Mwangi will appear in court again on March 27.
A senior official from the Kenya Wildlife Service told the BBC that investigations have revealed that ant collection is also taking place in other cities in the country, and further arrests may follow in this case. Last May, a Kenyan court sentenced four individuals to one year in jail or a fine of $7,700 USD for attempting to smuggle thousands of Queen Ants abroad.
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