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Venice has published messages warning tourists to beware of the city's greedy seagulls, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

On the signs there are warnings in Italian and English, which advise tourists not to get too close to increasingly aggressive animals or feed them.

The warnings come amid a series of incidents in which seagulls descend to steal burgers and other food from the hands of tourists.

The Venice City Council also advises tourists to comply with city regulations regarding sitting on the city's staircases for the purpose of consuming pizzas, hamburgers or chips. The council said the birds were becoming "increasingly aggressive".

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Venice