« The risk is to create biological invasions » – Liberation

It is the trial of traffickers of an unusual genre that is to end in Kenya this Wednesday, May 7. A Nairobi court renders its decision concerning Two 18 -year -old Belgians, accused of having tried to bring thousands of ants out of the countrylocked up in test tubes. They are accused of illegal possession and traffic of living wild animals and risk $ 10,000 fine and five years in prison. In a country rather used to The fight against ivory trafficking – rhino horns, elephant defenses – and pangolins scales, this affair reveals the extent of a less popular, although planetary trade: that of ants as a pet. A very rarely regulated trade, in which it is enough to bend down to catch hundreds of ants in order to resell them online to the enthusiasts of the small insect, who like to observe it in their vivarium. Rare specialist on the subject, Jérôme Gippet, Swiss researcher in organic invasions, was one of the first to try to quantify the extent of this business. He explains everything about this phenomenon to Releasewhere the risk of introducing pervasive exotic species by megarde is far from negligible.

The Kenyan socket impresses with its scope and by the critters in question, which seems little inclined to be the subject of such trafficking. Is this seizure exceptional?

What happened in Kenya is a rather exceptional case, but that is not so surprising as we are on an expanding business. In recent years, the price of certain rare ants have only dropped because sellers have managed to capture more and more. The system becomes more complex with intermediaries, crops, traders. We are no longer on the case of this German retiree who, in 2011, went to Australia himself to catch a few ants to resell them on his own site-he had also arrested in Australian customs, the suitcase filled with ants. Today, we are talking about planetary distribution, it’s a whole world exploding. At present, we certainly have more than 1,000 species of ants purchaseable online.

But who would like to buy all these ants?

The bulk of this business is for recreational and educational purposes. The ant has become a pet. When I studied groups of breeders on social networks, they were essentially made up of young adolescent boys between 14 and 21 years old – so the profile of the two Belgians does not surprise me. There are also teachers, who use ants as an educational tool in schools. Many of these people simply harvest them by hand, below their home.

Having invertebrates at home has several advantages, especially with urbanization. Not everyone has time, nor desire, to have an animal like the one that is mewting to me (laughs). Insects do not take up space in an apartment, do not need to be fed every day; You can go on vacation for two or three weeks without problem. And for ants, it’s even easier, artificial nests can be found online. They are received by post, ready to use, with the queen and the workers, the heating system and the food.

Another part of this business is linked to culinary habits. In Southeast Asia and South America, ants are eaten. But in these cases, they are sold dead and already cooked. And in a even more minimal way, there are also those dedicated to scientific research. Some researchers do not necessarily want to take the plane to get four queens on the other side of the planet, and will therefore order them online.

Young Belgians still captured 5,000 queens. How could we have achieved such proportions?

The answer is simple, internet. Passionate people who raise critters, there were already full before. But it was much more difficult to put harvesters and consumers in contact. Reptiles, mammals, birds … You had to go physically to a specialized shop to buy them. Not everyone had your own knowledge of the existence of such or such a species as a pet. By becoming the dominant commercial platform, the Internet only increased demand. Sending small critters by post, it’s simple, so it has become more democratic.

Maybe there is also a certain fashion effect or a need for some people to reconnect in the living. Somewhere, these ants are small ends like us, with which we can interact.

Are there species in particular that attract collectors?

The most marketed is Messor Barbarusthat we will find in the south of France, in Spain and Italy. It is not expensive, around 10 euros per queen. She rises very well and she eats seeds, so it is easy to feed: it’s perfect for beginners. Those who have captured the two young people in Kenya are also the type Messorbut these are the biggest, the Cephalotes Messorso they are quite requested. They cost the Queen between 100 and 200 euros.

Regarding more « exotic » species-due to more distant provenance-the southern South American sheets of sheets are particularly appreciated because they are fascinating, but they are more expensive, between 300 and 500 euros per queen. They cut the leaves of the trees, bring them back into the nest, put them in porridge, thus creating a mushroom, which they eat. It is one of the rare animal species that makes agriculture, and this, Long before human beings! After there are the weavers, which are Asian. They are very beautiful, with orange or petting green colors, but quite aggressive. In Australia, the most typical, it is Bulldog ants, which are among the largest ants that can be found. They have beak mandibles, a dart, they bite very hard, and they can even jump. So they are quite impressive. Before, it was difficult to find a queen at less than 500 euros, today with the increase in demand, it is around 100 euros.

Isn’t that a little dangerous all these exotic species introduced right to left?

A lot of aspects are risky in this business, as in any biodiversity trade. For example, for cutting fucks of leaves, they are present only in South America. If they escape from the vivarium of an enthusiast in Asia or Africa, where the climatic conditions are similar, we do not know what is going on. Some are able to ravage a tree in a few days by emptying it with its leaves and destroying cultures.

All current invasions, Like the electric ant In the south of France, are linked to the unintentional transport of the species, typically in a plant or a fruit. But this more intentional ants of ants could also, in the long term, create biological invasions.

Shouldn’t we therefore stem this traffic?

Attention with the word « traffic », we often talk about it for species protected of mammals or birdsand therefore of what is illegal. Regarding invertebrates, there is no legislation, it is a business like that of cocoa or coffee. In the case of Kenya, the judges use the Nagoya protocol, which aims to limit the commercial exploitation of the natural genetic heritage of the countries (fauna, flora, etc.), to judge the young accused. It would be unprecedented. This could serve as case law and make the fight against this business much easier.

I think that rather than getting, it should be regulated. However, it is difficult to regulate without assessing the risks that each species of ant can provide by being marketed. The most important thing is to maintain the purchase of some of them at least, making it illegal. Thus, we will be able to reduce invasions opportunities.