Beobachtungen über Nutznießer der Früchte des Niembaumes (Azadirachta indica) in Afrika mit besonderer Berücksichtigung von Senegal

The fruits of the neem tree, Azadirachta indica A. Juss., are utilized in Senegal and elsewhere by man and numerous animals for food. Goats eat the seeds including the very bitter seed kernel. The sweet pulp is consumed by man and flying foxes (fruit bats), specially the straw-coloured flying fox, Eidolon helvum helvum (Kerr.). The same applies to some bird species, such as the v-marked or village weaver, Textor cucullatus (Müll.), the white vented bulbul, Pycnonotus barbatus (Desfont.), the long-tailed starling, Lamprotornis caudatus (Müll.), and other Lamprotornis spp., as well as to the mousebird, Urocolius macrourus (L.). All fruit-pulp eating animals are useful as they prepare the neem seeds for collection by man. This makes the labourious and time consuming process of depulping unnecessary, which is very important for the economic use of neem seeds for crop protection purposes, at least in W. Africa. On the other hand, goats may develop as important competitors of man if they consume large amounts of seeds in future.