Seizure of 2,000 ants at Nairobi airport highlights the hidden scale of insect trafficking
Elliot Doornbos
Last year Kenya Wildlife Service warned of a growing demand for garden ants in Europe and Asia, where some people view them as exotic pets. An attempt to smuggle over 2,000 garden ants out of the country’s main international airport made the news in 2026. Echoing this, in 2025, four men were sentenced for attempting to smuggle more than 5,000 ants out of the country.
The defendants in the 2025 case pleaded guilty to the illegal possession and trafficking of live wildlife species, an offence...