Two Belgian youngsters who have been discovered with hundreds of ants assessed for over € 8,000 and presumably meant for European and Asian markets will probably be sentenced in two weeks, mentioned a Kenyan Justice of the Peace.
Njeri Thuku, sitting in court docket in the principle airport of Kenya, mentioned he wouldn’t havetened the case, however he would take time to overview the environmental impression and the psychological relationships offered in court docket earlier than spending the sentence on May 7.
Belgian residents Lornay David and knew Lodewijckx, each 19 years outdated, have been arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants in a visitor home.
They have been accused on April 15 of getting violated the legal guidelines on the conservation of wildlife.
The youngsters instructed the Justice of the Peace that they didn’t know that protecting the ants was unlawful they usually have been solely having enjoyable.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) had mentioned that the case represented “a motion within the traits of traffic-the massive iconic mammals to much less recognized however ecologically important species”.
In the previous, Kenya has fought in opposition to the trafficking of largest wild animals elements comparable to elephants, rhinos and pangolins amongst others.
Belgian youngsters had entered the nation with a vacationer visa and stayed in a pension within the western metropolis of Naivasha, widespread amongst vacationers for its animal and lakes.
Their lawyer, Halima Nyakinyua Magairo, mentioned that his prospects didn’t know what they have been doing was unlawful.
He mentioned he hoped that the Belgian embassy in Kenya might “assist them extra on this judicial course of”.
In a separate however correlated case, Kenya Dennis ng’ang’a and Vietnamese Duh Hung Nguyen have been accused after being present in possession of 400 ants of their condominium within the capital, Nairobi.
Kws had mentioned that every one 4 suspicions have been concerned within the mannequin of the ants to the markets in Europe and Asia and that the species included Mesor Cephalotes, a particular, massive and crimson type of the Oriental Africa.
Ants are bought by individuals who maintain them as pets and observe them of their colonies.
Several web sites in Europe have listed a number of species of ants on the market at varied costs.
The 5,400 ants discovered with the 4 males have been evaluated at 1.2 million Kenyan shoals (€ 8,104), in keeping with KWS.
