The Arab Contractors and Orascom Construction Industries had finished a project to restore the monuments at the site of the Babylon Fortress in Coptic Cairo. The site is of exceptional art historical importance because it hosts some of the oldest churches of Egypt, therefore serving religious, cultural, and touristic purposes.
The site had been inhabited by several colonies of bats, which had settled inside some of the monuments. During the restoration activities, the bats had abandoned their shelters, only to return after the project was completed. The bats caused problems because of their droppings, which defaced the interiors of the walls, and their presence was expected to annoy the site’s visitors.
The contractors of the restoration project commissioned Environics to come up with environmentally friendly and durable methods to dismiss bats from the site.
Environics took up this unique assignment to find innovative solutions. Ecologists from Environics surveyed the site and investigated the problem. The site visits identified the bats as Egyptian Fruit Bats, on which extensive background research was done.
Based on the investigations and research, creative and environmentally friendly solutions, which preserve the treasured elements and character of the site were proposed. Recommendations on the methods and steps to apply these solutions were detailed.