Smuggled in Syringes: Inside Nairobi’s Black Market in Giant Harvester Ants
A Chinese national, Zhang Kequn, was sentenced to one year in prison and fined $7,600 in Kenya for attempting to smuggle over 2,200 giant African harvester ants to China. The case highlights a growing black market for these ants, prized as exotic pets in Asia, Europe, and North America due to their size, color, and complex behaviors. Conservationists warn that the illegal trade poses ecological risks and calls for international recognition of invertebrate trafficking as a serious issue.
- ▪Zhang Kequn was caught with over 2,200 live ants, including 1,948 Messor cephalotes, hidden in specialized tubes at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
- ▪One giant African harvester ant queen can sell for over $300 in international exotic pet markets—40 times the local price in Kenya.
- ▪Kenya has seen multiple ant smuggling cases in recent months, including two Belgian teenagers and a Vietnamese national caught with thousands of ants packed in syringes and containers.
- ▪The Messor cephalotes species is native to East Africa, known for its vibrant red and black coloring and large size, with queens reaching up to 25 mm.
- ▪Conservationists are urging CITES to recognize the international ant pet trade as a threat to biodiversity and biosecurity.
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freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: "motherjones_right_rail_1", slotId: "ROS_ATF_300x600" }); A giant African harvester ant in the Silole sanctuary in Kajiado.Courtesy of Nino Martins Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily. This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. In the biblical text Book of Proverbs, King Solomon describes the harvester ant as a model of wisdom and industriousness: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!” Almost 3,000 years later, the thriving international parallel market for a distinct species of the ant native to East Africa has been thrust into the global spotlight after a series…
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