Driver's mate donates eagle to President Kufuor.

Asankrangwa, (W/R) March 17 GNA- Kwasi Amankwah, a driver's mate has donated an eaglet he captured with his bare hands in a forest near Asankrangwa in July 2003 to President John Agyekum Kufuor as a gift.

"It is to show my love and respect for the President and also my confidence in his administration," he was quoted as saying.

Briefing the Ghana News Agency at Asankrangwa, Mr. Alberto Terkyi, Wassa-Amenfi District Chief Executive said Amankwah and his master had used their KIA truck to transport some workers of a road construction firm working in that portion of the forest that day.

When he saw the beautiful huge bird, the size of an adult fat turkey, he did not know that, in fact it was an eagle, and therefore could be dangerous.

Unarmed, he decided to capture the bird alive and shouted for assistance from two colleagues who chased it for some time but soon gave up when it proved to be too evasive.

However, Amankwah, determined to capture the bird at all cost, continued the chase until, with a long struggle he finally got hold of the bird which inflicted some deep scratches on his hands and body.

"It was very strong, but surprisingly it could not fly high", he said. Bleeding from the injuries, he brought the bird home, making him a hero instantly, after it had been identified as an eagle.

For many weeks, hundreds of people from nearby villages trooped to Amankwah's house to catch a glimpse of the bird, which many people believe were extinct or very few in the country's forests.

"I will not have undertaken the venture if I knew it was an eagle, because of some of the weird stories told about these powerful and ferocious birds", Amankwah told his friends.

The bird had been given to Mr. Alberto Tekyi, district chief executive for Wassa-Amenfi "to be presented to President Kufuor on a date to be decided by the chief of Staff", according to Mr. Tekyi.

It is being kept in a big cage and fed on fresh meat and water only.

"I give it a live chicken every day or sometimes have to slaughter a goat for it", the DCE told the Ghana News Agency.