Venice hotels want falcons to fend off gulls

(ANSA) - ROME, NOV 28 - Venice hotels want falcons to fend off gulls and pigeons bothering tourists, the Venetian hoteliers association (AVA) said Tuesday.
    AVA said the hawks had already been used successfully to drive off the offending birds in a local cemetery.
    However, a guide to living with the gulls was published by Venetian refuse company Veritas and lagoon system study consortium CORILA Tuesday.
    The guide includes coping strategies for tourists whose panini are snatched away by the marauders.
    There are an estimated 2,000 gulls residing in the iconic lagoon city, and about 450 pairs nesting there. (ANSA).