France, April 16 -- Four people - including two Belgian teenagers - have been charged in Kenya with trafficking thousands of live ants in what the country's wildlife authority says underscores the growing trade in lesser-known species.

The suspects, two Belgians, a Vietnamese national and a Kenyan, were arrested in separate operations and found with more than 5,000 ants packed into containers designed to keep the insects alive during transport.

All four have pleaded guilty to illegal possession and attempted export of protected wildlife.

"This unprecedented case signals a shift in trafficking trends - from iconic large mammals to lesser-known yet ecologically critical species," the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said in a public statemen...