coconut palm

Introducing the killer coconut palm

Marlon Brando once said that the only thing one had to learn in order to live happily on his Polynesian island was instant recognition of the sound made by a falling coconut and, of course, the ability to take quick evasive action.

His idea seems to be borne out by a report in the British Medical Journal of a four year study of admissions to the pro vincial hospital in Papua New Guinea’s Milne Bay Province.

The study shows that “tree related incidents” seem to be the most common cause for injuries. Trees accounted for 41 per cent of admissions for wounds and injuries, and for a large number of deaths. The types of accidents included fall

ing off a tree while climbing, being struck by a falling tree limb or by a falling coconut, tripping over fallen tree limbs, and being struck by a crashing tree while trying to cut it down.

The victims ranged in age from three to 60, and the tree implicated most often was the coconut palm. The researchers noted that most village tree climbers did not use safety equipment and that some of the palm trees they climbed were 30 metres tall. The report also stated that a climber’s fall from a mature coconut palm would be the equivalent of a fall from a 10-storey building, and that falling coconuts could strike a person on the ground with a force of almost 908 kilograms.