A Chinese national has been sentenced to a year in prison for attempting to smuggle thousands of live queen garden ants out of Kenya. The court in Nairobi on Wednesday also fined Zhang Kequn 1 million Kenyan shillings (£5,713; $7,737). Judge Irene Gichobi described Zhang as not 'entirely honest' and lacking in remorse. Last month, he was charged with illegally dealing in wildlife species after being arrested at Nairobi's main airport while attempting to travel to China with more than 2,000 ants in his luggage. Kenyan authorities have warned of a growing demand for the ants in Europe and Asia, where they are prized by collectors and can be worth around $220 (£170) each. Judge Gichobi emphasized the need for a stiff deterrent sentence, citing the rising cases of dealing in large quantities of garden ants and the negative ecological side effects. After serving his year in prison, Zhang will be 'referred to his home country.' He has 14 days to appeal against the sentence, which his lawyer says he will do. Initially pleading not guilty to the charges - including dealing in live wildlife - he later changed his plea to guilty. Following Zhang's arrest on March 10, the court heard that he had purchased the ants from a Kenyan national, Charles Mwangi, for 10,000 Kenyan shillings (£58; $77) for every 100 ants. Mwangi was also charged and is currently out on bail. This case comes after a similar September 2022 incident where a Kenyan court sentenced four men for smuggling thousands of live queen ants, again intended for collectors in Europe and Asia.