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Poultry farmers across the country are on edge as the highly pathogenic avian influenza is on the rise in the U.S., with more than 24 states impacted since the start of 2022.
High-end Venetian hotels are arming locals and tourists with squirt guns to combat food-stealing seagulls when they book rooms overlooking the Italian city’s famous Grand Canal.
The problem has persisted for several years and has reportedly gotten worse after Venice banned pigeon feeding in 2008, which led to a 50% decline in the birds’ population, according to Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata (ANSA) — a national not-for-profit news cooperative.
Seagulls have since flocked to St. Mark’s Square and around hotel balconies that face the canal for feeding opportunities. The seabirds descend whenever breakfast and lunch are served in hopes of snatching sandwiches or pizza from unsuspecting diners, ANSA reports.
The Gritti Palace, an ornate five-star boutique hotel that was originally built in the 14th century, has resorted to giving guests orange squirt guns to keep seagulls away.
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"As they see them, they run away," The Gritti Palace Director Paolo Lorenzoni told ANSA. "You don't even need to use them, you just need to keep them on the table."
Lorenzoni went on to say the hotel has tried other methods to discourage seagulls, including the use of a spinning fake owl and a falconer, but the plastic squirt guns have been the most effective practically and financially.
Overnight stays at The Gritti Palace typically cost more than $1,000 per night. Seagull and pigeon flocks have reportedly wreaked havoc by breaking glasses and spilling drinks and food that ultimately need to be reimbursed for the hotel’s clientele.
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Guests at the Monaco & Grand Canal Hotel have reported similar experiences. The hotel is approximately a six-minute walk away from The Gritti Palace.
Squirt guns have been distributed to guests who dine outdoors at the four-star hotel, according to The Times.
"We decided to act after a customer lifted a croissant to his mouth and a lurking seagull dived and snatched it from his hand," Monaco & Grand Canal Hotel Manager Enrico Mazzocco told the British news outlet.
Mazzocco named another food-stealing incident where a seagull allegedly made off with "an entire steak" just when a waiter lifted the plate’s lid.
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Just like The Gritti Palace, squirt guns are an unexpected tableside tool considering overnight stays at the Monaco & Grand Canal Hotel range between hundreds and thousands of dollars.
It’s not the first time seagulls have created trouble for the Venetian hospitality industry, which welcomes about 20 million visitors a year, according to World Population Review.
In 2016, a growing number of seagull "attacks" led to the St. Mark’s Association’s attempt to develop a seagull-repelling perfume, according to The Local – a European news outlet.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the Venetian Hoteliers Association for comment on the effectiveness of visible squirt guns for seagull hindrance.
The current seagull problem in Venice comes at a time when the world is monitoring and responding to avian flu outbreaks.
Italy’s animal health and food safety authority’s most up-to-date data on avian flu infections have detected "highly" and "low" pathogenic influenza in chicken, cockerel, laying hens, broiler birds, turkey, ducks, quail, guinea fowl, pheasant, ostrich, game birds and multispecies flocks.
High-end Venetian hotels are arming locals and tourists with squirt guns to combat food-stealing seagulls when they book rooms overlooking the Italian city’s famous Grand Canal. (iStock)
Although seagulls haven’t been detected in Italian avian flu tests, the disease is spread from bird-to-bird contact.
The CDC reports that waterfowl and poultry have an increased chance of transmitting the avian flu when touching an infected surface.
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In England, Herring Gulls (AKA seagulls) have tested positive for the avian flu in Cornwall and some have even been found dead, according to the BBC.
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