General News of Saturday, 11 February 2023

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Meet the Ghanaian man 'haunted' by the animals he hunts

Opanyin Sakyi says his kids behave like monkeys Opanyin Sakyi says his kids behave like monkeys

For 30 years, hunting animals in Ghana's thick forests is what a family of 10 has been surviving on.

Opanyin Yaw Sakyi, who makes ends meet by killing some wild animals in forests to sell, has disclosed that he suspects he's being punished for killing such animals.

Sharing his story with Kofi TV in an interview, monitored by GhanaWeb, Opanyin Sakyi told the host that he has killed animals such as antelopes, deers, monkeys, brush-tailed porcupine, duiker, and so many others.

Linking this to why he thinks killing some monkeys - some pregnant, might be the reason two of his children are physically challenged, he explained:

"Ever since I started hunting as a kid, I have never come face to face with any evil spirits in the forest. My name is Yaw Sakyi, and I am a hunter. I have been hunting for 30 years. I am married and we have 8 kids.

"My first five children are healthy, but 2 of the 8 are physically challenged. I can't really tell if they became that way because of the nature of my work. I have hunted animals such as deers, antelopes, monkeys... So, I don't know if my kids turned that way because of that. I have killed a number of monkeys, sometimes some of them were even pregnant."

He described similarities between his two children's behavior and those of monkeys.

"My 2 other children behave just like monkeys because the other animals don't behave that way... paying attention to them when they are playing, the way they move their hands, legs, etc, I suspected it might be because of the hunting," he said in the interview, monitored by GhanaWeb.



He, however, is not so shaken to have children who cannot talk and behave in such an unusual ways.

"During her pregnancy, there were no issues, she gave birth to healthy babies. But as they were growing, we realized their bones were too fragile. They couldn't sit without any support. They couldn't even crawl properly... I wasn't scared because I'm not the only one who has given birth to such children in this world," Opanyin said.

Mrs Sakyi, however, thinks her children are not humans.

According to her, they keep climbing trees to sleep and also care for each other in a special way.

"I suspect my children are not humans. Sometimes, I get surprised when they behave in certain way. They keep climbing trees and care specifically for each other. When the younger is sick, the elder one, goes to the bush to bring some leaves, and wraps the leaves in his palms. Immediately he gives it to his brother, he gets better. I have tried to know the kind of leaves, but he does it secretly," she said.

Watch the video below:



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