Project Update: August 2010

From April 2010, four visits of 6 days each have been made in the study site. During these visits, we conducted 130 hours of nocturnal and diurnal focal tree observation at four fruiting trees. Bats were the most frequent vertebrate visitor and were observed taking fruit at all the focal trees. Two fruit bats species (Eidolon helvum and Epomophorus gambianus) were observed eating Azadirachta fruit. During these four months (April- July) Eidolon helvum were recorded visiting
the focal trees on more than 75 % of the nocturnal observation periods.

Diurnal observation reveals that several species of birds were observed commonly or occasionally in or near the focal trees. Among these birds, only two species were observed taking or eating fruit. Faecal samples were also collected with plastics placed under the crown of the colonies of Maroua. The analysis of these samples and the faecal sample of the captured bats are still in progress.