Chinese man jailed after trying to smuggle 2,200 ants out of Kenya in his luggage
CNN • • world
Key Points:
- A Kenyan court sentenced Chinese national Zhang Kequn to 12 months in jail and fined him 1 million shillings ($7,746) for attempting to smuggle over 2,200 live garden ants out of Kenya.
- The magistrate emphasized the need for a harsh sentence to deter a rising trend of ant trafficking, which supplies markets like China where enthusiasts keep ant colonies in formicariums.
- Zhang initially pleaded not guilty to charges including dealing in live wildlife but later changed his plea to guilty; his lawyer plans to appeal the sentence.
- Kenyan Charles Mwangi, accused of supplying the ants to Zhang, pleaded not guilty and is currently out on bail, with his case pending.
- The case highlights a shift in biopiracy concerns from high-profile trophies like ivory to lesser-known species such as ants, with previous similar cases resulting in hefty fines.
