Police in Nyabihu District have arrested a man suspected of belonging to a gang of poachers.

The suspect, Emmanuel Maniriho, was nabbed on Saturday in possession of a leopard skin.

The Western Province Police spokesperson, Inspector of Police (IP) Théobard Kanamugire, said investigations are on to find out which game park the animal had been killed from.

Maniriho confessed to being part of a group of poachers, claiming that he had been told that there are clients in neighboring countries willing to offer a lot of money for rare animal skins.

"The capture and jailing of suspected poachers indicates how serious the Police is about tackling wildlife crime and how determined we are to ensure that poachers pay for their crimes,” IP Kanamugire said.

"We call upon residents living near game parks to desist from collaborating with poachers, but work with law enforcers to protect animals. We also call upon game rangers to be vigilant against environment crimes and work with the Police to overcome the illegal acts of poachers.”

Although poaching still remains a threat to wild life in Rwanda, there are strong efforts between the Police, Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA) and Rwanda Development Board (RDB), among other entities, to curb the vice and protect Rwanda’s wild species, Kanamugire noted.

Recently, through this partnership, a group of 120 park rangers completed an intense two-months training aimed at equipping them with skills and knowledge to provide ample security to Rwanda’s national parks and natural resources.

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