Kenya: Man Arrested for Smuggling 2,000 Live Ants

A Chinese national, Zhang Kecun, 27, was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya for attempting to smuggle 2,000 live ants.

Police discovered 2,238 ants in Zhang's luggage, housed in test tubes and rolls of fabric. Zhang allegedly revealed three accomplices who supplied the ants.

The Kenya Wildlife Service is conducting investigations and discovered a similar shipment of ants seized in Bangkok, suggesting an organized smuggling network. Ant enthusiasts pay large sums to maintain colonies in special containers called formicariums.

Last year, four men were fined $7,700 each for attempting to export ants, in a case considered a shift towards biopiracy.