It seems some people have moved on from fancy watches and fast cars. The latest must have accessory for the discerning traveler is apparently a suitcase full of angry insects. A Chinese man named Zhang Kequn just got caught at Kenya’s main airport with more than 2,000 queen ants tucked into his luggage. While most of us struggle to fit an extra pair of shoes into our carry on, this mastermind managed to pack 1,948 garden ants into test tubes and stuffed another 300 into rolls of toilet paper.
If you think your job is weird, spare a thought for the security staff at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. They usually look for ivory or drugs, but instead they found a mobile colony of Messor cephalotes. These are not just any bugs. These are giant African harvester ants. In some parts of Europe and Asia, people actually keep these things as pets. Apparently, watching a tiny creature carry a leaf is the new Netflix.
The Mastermind in the Toilet Paper
Authorities say Zhang is not just a casual bug fan. They believe he is the big boss behind an international ant trafficking ring. Investigators told the court he actually escaped Kenya last year by using a different passport after his mates got caught. Last May, two Belgians, a Vietnamese man, and a Kenyan were fined thousands of dollars for the same trick. The Belgians claimed they were just hobbyists who did not know it was illegal to kidnap thousands of queens. It is a classic excuse. I am sure the ants felt very flattered by the attention.
The Kenya Wildlife Service is used to chasing rhino poachers and lion trackers. Now, they are stuck counting thousands of tiny legs. They are calling this a landmark case because these ants are actually quite important for the soil. If you take all the queens away, the local ecosystem gets a bit grumpy.
Why Ants?
You might wonder why anyone would risk a Kenyan prison cell for a bag of dirt dwellers. The exotic pet market is a strange place. There is a growing demand for these specific ants because they are big, busy, and look great in a glass tank. It is essentially a very high stakes version of SimCity, but with more biting.
The court has given the police five days to go through Zhang’s phone and laptop. One can only imagine the search history. “How to hide 300 queens in a Quilted Northern” is probably right at the top. While Zhang sits in a cell, the ants are likely heading back to the wild to do whatever it is harvester ants do when they are not being smuggled across borders.
If you are looking for a new hobby, maybe stick to stamp collecting. It is much easier to get through customs, and stamps rarely try to crawl up your trouser leg during a long haul flight.
The world is a funny place. Why some people do the things they do.
Related topics: Africa
