A 76-year-old man in Sabah sulked in a coconut tree and refused to come down for hours.

An elderly man in Sabah retreated to the top of a 9m-high coconut tree to rest after being nagged by his wife who was cleaning the house.

The 76-year-old man sulked and refused to climb down for hours. It was only after firemen arrived that he relented and came back down, Kosmo! reported​.

The drama started at the padi planter’s home in Ranau at around 8am on Sunday.

The man's wife, Ratini, who was cleaning the living room, pestered him to go elsewhere if he wanted to just laze about while she did the household chores.

Pleaded with him for hours

Not wanting to argue with her further, the man, known only as Salimin, walked out of the house to a nearby coconut tree.

His 70-year-old wife, who was watching him from the house, became frantic when she saw him scaling the tree. She went outside and pleaded with him to come back down, but he refused.

After trying for three hours of futile persuasion, she called the fire department.

Napped in the tree

Operations commander Balasius Ampun said that when his team arrived at around noon, Ms Ratini was standing beneath the tree while Mr Salimin appeared to be napping among the cluster of fronds atop the tree.

After several failed attempts to persuade him to climb down, the rescuers brought out a ladder. One of them then climbed up to guide Mr Salimin down.

Neighbours interviewed by the newspaper said they have never seen the couple quarrel before.

The elderly couple have been married for 50 years​ and have several children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Source: The Star