Thieves steal 5,000 endangered ants from nature reserve in bizarre theft

Thieves have stolen an entire colony of rare ants from a protected nature reserve, with as many as 5,000 insects potentially taken. The colony of narrow-headed ants was removed from the reserve in Devon, England, the species' "last stronghold" in the country. The theft was discovered during routine checks in mid-October, when researchers found a hole where one of the nests had previously been. Theft puts rare ant population at risk According to Devon Wildlife Trust, the ground around the missing nest showed signs of digging with a spade, suggesting someone had deliberately removed the colony.