Two Belgian teenagers found with 5,000 ants in Kenya have been fined $7,700 or the option to serve 12 months in prison — the maximum penalty for the offense — for violating wildlife conservation laws

A Kenyan court on Wednesday fined four men $7,700 each for trying to traffic thousands of ants valuable to the country's ecosystem, in cases experts say signal a shift in biopiracy from trophies like elephant ivory to lesser-known species.

Two Belgian teenagers found with 5,000 ants in Kenya have been fined $7,700 or the option to serve 12 months in prison — the maximum penalty for the offense — for violating wildlife conservation laws