Two youths arrest for gathering 5,000 copies

Two Belgian youths were accused of stealing the wildlife on Tuesday, and after they were found with thousands of ants packed with test tubes, Kenian officials said this was part of a trend. Small species transport And less known.

Two 19 -year -old girls arrested at the guest house with 5,000 ants on April 5, Lorney David and Sep Lottevijs, when they appeared in front of a magistrate in Nairobi, were depressed and relatives comforted them in the courtroom. They told the magistrate They gathered ants for fun They don’t know that it is illegal.

In a separate criminal case, Kenyan tennis enjanga and Vietnamese Duh Hung Quen were also accused of illegal traffic in the same court, after he was arrested. Holding 400 ants.

All four of the Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) are involved in ants traffic Toward the markets in Europe and AsiaAnd species include the unique, large and native red Andrek -color ant messer sebelots of East Africa.

Ants’ illegal export not only undermines the sovereignty rights on Kenya’s biodiversity but also loses local communities and institutions Research on potential environmental and economic benefits“KWS said.

In the past, Kenya fought against the transport of large wild animals such as elephants, rhinos and bangolins. But the cases against four men represent ”Change in transport trendsLarge icons are less known, but environmentally critical creatures, “KWS said.

The Belgians were arrested at Nakuru County, where many national parks are. 5,000 ants were found in a guest house where they stayed, and They were packaged in 2,244 tubes A test filled with cotton to allow ants to survive for months. The other two were arrested in Nairobi, where they found 400 ants in the apartment.

Kenyan authorities assessed ants in 1 million Celines (6,800 euros). Ants prices are greatly vary according to species and market.

According to Philip Murathi, Vice President of the Protection of the African Wildlife Foundation in Nairobi, ants all allow soil to enrich, germinate and provide food to creatures like birds.

“The thing is that when you see a healthy forest like Enkang forest, you don’t think about making it healthy. They are relationships, Bacteria first ants and the greatest things“He explained.

Murathi warned of exporting diseases to the agricultural industry of transport and target countries. “Despite the trade, It has to control it No one should take our resources like that, ”he said.