This demonstrates the danger that exists from extracting jelly from a coconut using a piece sliced off from the side of a coconut, a so-called ‘spoon’.
The rat who bored a hole in this coconut in this tree in St Thomas would obviously have taken considerable time to cut it, and more than likely he would have urinated several times on the other coconuts during the process.
What happens if someone bought one of the coconuts he urinated on and used a piece from the side as a spoon to extract the jelly and eat it?
It could result in that individual contracting leptospirosis, without thinking of the coconut as the likely source. Persons should refrain from eating jelly from coconuts using this method unless they are sure the coconuts have been thoroughly washed after picking.
