A tourist has sparked outrage after grabbing a seagull for a photo with it.
A video of the incident shows a man seizing the large bird as his partner erupts into laughter.
She then reaches for her phone to take a snap of her fella holding the seagull, as reported by What’s the Jam.
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The bird reacts angrily and defensively pecks at his hand, prompting the man to let go and put it back on the wall.
The seagull then flies off as the man checks his hand for injuries.
The incident was reportedly filmed by TV presenter Salvo Sottile, 51, while he was passing along the Lungotevere boulevard in the Italian capital Rome.
He shared the clip on X where it has been widely shared with 87,000 views and hundreds of comments.
One local said: “The seagull rightly pecked him.”
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Another wrote: “It should have gouged out his eye instead of pecking his hand.”
Joseph commented: “Seagulls in Rome feed on rubbish.”
Antonella remarked: “Seagulls are so used to humans that they aren’t afraid of them, they should be photographed with care and respect.”
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Joseph said: “The idiot tourist should have stayed at home and not bothered that poor seagull.”
So far this summer, the authorities in Rome have received over 30 reports of seagull attacks in the city.
Last week, Twitch streamer JustKeth filmed herself being dive-bombed by a colony of seagulls while eating a ham sandwich in Venice.
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