Why would someone try to smuggle 5,000 ants?

Two Belgian teenagers have plead guilty to trying to smuggle thousands of giant African harvester ants out of Kenya. The authorities said they were allegedly planning to sell the ants on the growing exotic pet market in Europe and Asia, where ant keepers put the insects in special habitats and watch them build their colonies. BBC reporter Akisa Wandera talks us through this landmark case.

We also hear from two ant keepers, Kaden (Ender Ants) and Mauro (Bruma Ants) on why they love their pets.

And finally, a quick question for you, how many ants do you think there are for every person on earth? A) 10 antsB) 67 thousand antsC) 980 thousand antsD) 2.5 million ants

Listen to the episode for the answer!

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworldEmail: [email protected]: +44 0330 12 33 22 6Presenter: Hannah GelbartProducers: Emily Horler and Chelsea CoatesEditor: Verity Wilde

What in the World

Helping you make sense of what’s happening in your world. Big stories, small stories and everything in between. Understand more, feel better. Five days a week, Monday to Friday.

• No. of episodes: 503
• Latest episode: 2025-06-26
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