Kenyan Ant Traffickers on Trial: 'The Risk Is Creating Biological Invasions'

The trial of an unusual kind of trafficker is set to conclude in Kenya this Wednesday, May 7. A Nairobi court is handing down its decision concerning two 18-year-old Belgians accused of attempting to smuggle thousands of ants out of the country , locked in test tubes. They are accused of illegal possession and trafficking of live wild animals and face a $10,000 fine and five years in prison. In a country more accustomed to combating the trafficking of ivory —rhino horns, elephant tusks—and pangolin scales, this case reveals the scale of a less popular, though global, trade: that of ants as pets. A very rarely regulated trade, in which all you have to do is bend down to catch hundreds of ants to resell them online to enthusiasts of the small insect, who enjoy observing them in their vivariums. A rare expert on the subject, Jérôme Gippet, a Swiss researcher in biological invasions, was one of the first to attempt to quantify the extent of this business. He explains everything about this phenomenon to Libération , where the risk of accidentally introducing invasive exotic species is far from negligible.

The Kenyan catch is impressive for its scale and the creature in question, which seems unlikely to be the subject of such trafficking. Is this seizure exceptional?

What happened in Kenya is a rather exceptional case, but it's not so surprising given the booming trade. In recent years, the price of certain rare ant species has only decreased as sellers manage to capture more and more of them. The system is becoming more complex with intermediaries, harvesters, and traders. We're no longer talking about the case of the German retiree who, in 2011, went to Australia himself to catch a few ants to resell on his own website – he was actually stopped at Australian customs with his suitcase full of ants. Today, we're talking about global distribution; it's a whole world that's exploding. Currently, there are certainly more than 1,000 species of ants available for purchase online.

But who would want to buy all these ants?

The bulk of this trade is for recreational and educational purposes. Ants have become pets. When I studied groups of breeders on social media, they were mainly made up of young teenage boys between the ages of 14 and 21—so the profile of the two Belgians doesn't surprise me. There are also teachers who use ants as a teaching tool in schools. Many of these people simply harvest them by hand, right outside their homes.

1,001 legs

Having invertebrates at home has several advantages, especially with urbanization. Not everyone necessarily has the time, or the desire, to have an animal like the one that is meowing at me (laughs) . Insects don't take up space in an apartment, they don't need to be fed every day; you can go on vacation for two or three weeks without any problem. And for ants, it's even easier, artificial nests can be found online. You receive them by mail, ready to use, with the queen and workers, the heating system and food.

Another part of this trade is linked to culinary habits. In Southeast Asia and South America, ants are edible. But in these cases, they are sold dead and already cooked. And even more minimally, there are also those dedicated to scientific research. Some researchers don't necessarily want to take a plane to fetch four queens from the other side of the planet, and so they order them online.

The young Belgians still captured 5,000 queens. How could such numbers have been achieved?

The answer is simple: the Internet. There were already plenty of enthusiasts who raised creatures before. But it was much more difficult to connect collectors and consumers. Reptiles, mammals, birds... You had to go to a specialty store to buy them. Not everyone had the knowledge of the existence of a particular species as a pet. By becoming the dominant commercial platform, the Internet only increased demand. Sending small creatures by mail is simple, so it became more widespread.

Also read

Perhaps there's also a certain fashion effect or a need for some people to reconnect with the living. In a way, these ants are little pieces of nature inside our homes, with which we can interact.

Are there any particular species that attract collectors?

The most commercialized is Messor barbarus , which we find in the south of France, Spain and Italy. It is not expensive, around 10 euros per queen. It breeds very well and eats seeds, so it is easy to feed: it is perfect for beginners. The ones that the two young people captured in Kenya are also of the Messor genus, but they are the largest, the Messor cephalotes , so they are quite in demand. They cost between 100 and 200 euros per queen.

As for the more "exotic" species—due to their more distant origins—South American leafcutter ants are particularly popular because they are fascinating, but they are more expensive, costing between 300 and 500 euros per queen. They cut the leaves from the trees, bring them back to the nest, and mash them, creating a mushroom, which they eat. They are one of the rare animal species that has been involved in agriculture, long before humans! Then there are the weaver ants, which are Asian. They are very beautiful, with bright orange or green colors, but quite aggressive. In Australia, the most typical are the bulldog ants, which are among the largest ants you can find. They have beak-shaped mandibles, a stinger, they sting very hard, and they can even jump. So they are quite impressive. Before, it was difficult to find a queen for less than 500 euros, today with the increase in demand, it is around 100 euros.

Isn't it a bit dangerous, all these exotic species being introduced here and there?

There are many risky aspects to this trade, as there are to any biodiversity trade. For example, leafcutter ants are found only in South America. If they escape from a hobbyist's vivarium in Asia or Africa, where climatic conditions are similar, there's no telling what might happen. Some are capable of devastating a tree in a matter of days, stripping it of its leaves and destroying crops.

All current invasions, such as the electric ant in southern France, are linked to the unintentional transport of the species, typically in a plant or fruit. But this more intentional trade in ants could also, in the long run, create biological invasions.

Shouldn't we therefore stem this traffic?

Be careful with the word "trafficking," it is often used for protected species of mammals or birds , and therefore for what is illegal. Regarding invertebrates, there is no legislation; it is a trade like that of cocoa or coffee. In the case of Kenya, judges are using the Nagoya Protocol, which aims to limit the commercial exploitation of the natural genetic heritage of countries (fauna, flora, etc.), to judge the young accused. This would be unprecedented. It could serve as a precedent and would make the fight against this trade much easier.

To go further

I think that rather than contain it, we should regulate it. However, it's difficult to regulate without assessing the risks that each ant species can bring when sold. The most important thing is to keep the purchase of some of them to a minimum by making it illegal. This way, we can reduce the chances of invasions.