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Sparrow shot for downing domino record bid
CNN ^ | November 16, 2005 | Associated Press.

Posted on 11/16/2005 1:33:42 PM PST by grjr21

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- The Dutch animal protection agency said Tuesday it is investigating the shooting death of a sparrow that knocked over 23,000 dominoes during an attempt to set a world record.

The ill-fated bird flew into an exposition center, threatening to derail a world record Monday, before it was chased into a corner and shot by an exterminator with an air rifle.

The bird was a common house sparrow -- a species placed on the national endangered list last year.

"Under Dutch law, you need a permit to kill this kind of bird, and a permit can only be granted when there's a danger to public health or a crop," agency spokesman Niels Dorland said.

"That was not the case. I might add, is it really necessary to kill a bird that knocked over a few dominoes for a game?"

Dorland said the agency plans to submit the case to national prosecutors. The incident came as the national birdwatchers association was preparing a campaign to draw attention to the rapidly declining number of sparrows in the country.

The Endemol production company, which organized the Domino Day event, defended the killing. The organizers wanted to break their own Guinness World Record of 3,992,397 dominoes set last year by toppling a chain of 4,321,000 blocks.

Around 200,000 dominoes were left to go, and the bird knocked down 23,000 of them.

Endemol spokesman Jeroen van Waardenberg said organizers made a "split-second" decision to shoot down the bird.

"That bird was flying around and knocking over a lot of dominoes. More than 100 people from 12 countries had worked for more than a month setting them up," he said.

(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 23000dominoes; animalrightslist; banglist; dominoeffect; illfatedbird; uncommoncommonbird
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To: grjr21
The bird was a common house sparrow -- a species placed on the national endangered list last year.

I'm...confused...

If it's named the "Common House Sparrow"...HOW CAN IT BE ENDANGERED?!?!

Did it skip the "Uncommon" stage?

21 posted on 11/16/2005 1:54:20 PM PST by Itzlzha ("The avalanche has already started...it is too late for the pebbles to vote")
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To: dead
kitty


Stupid unarmed birds.
22 posted on 11/16/2005 2:00:21 PM PST by grjr21
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To: dead

Yeah, it's a pity that the bird didn't read the "No Trespassing" signs and aren't as bright as the idiot that shot it. As far as the bird killing me if I violated it's nest? I don't frequent trees and the bird coming in was more than likely an accident. They don't usually hang out in buildings as a rule. A sparrow flew into my sunroom a couple of years ago and we propped the door open and let it out. Problem solved.


23 posted on 11/16/2005 2:00:26 PM PST by WasDougsLamb (I refuse to have a battle of wits with an unarmed man.)
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To: grjr21
"around 200,000 were left to go and the bird knocked down 23,000 of them"

Sometimes, you have to wonder if God does indeed, have a sense humor.

In the meantime, Paris continues to burn, and Islamofacists throughout Europe continue to issue more threats.

Poor bird. No sympathy from me for the Socialists and their dominoes. I'm rooting for the bird.

24 posted on 11/16/2005 2:02:11 PM PST by Pajamajan (The Democrat party proudly brings you the new and improved Soviet Union.)
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To: grjr21
Exactly. That cat's knows the score.
25 posted on 11/16/2005 2:02:16 PM PST by dead (I've got my eye out for Mullah Omar.)
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To: grjr21

Imagine if the bird crapped on them.


26 posted on 11/16/2005 2:03:24 PM PST by b4its2late (GITMO is way too nice of a place to house low life terrorists.)
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To: grjr21

LOL!-Tweety better watch out, Sylvester has upgraded his tactics.


27 posted on 11/16/2005 2:05:35 PM PST by Pajamajan (The Democrat party proudly brings you the new and improved Soviet Union.)
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To: grjr21
"That bird was flying around and knocking over a lot of dominoes.

Well to paraphrase Hamlet... "Is it nobler to suffer the sling and Sparrow of outrageous fortune?...That is the question"

28 posted on 11/16/2005 2:13:54 PM PST by tophat9000 (CA politics …San Andres Fault is now the San Andres Fix)
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To: WasDougsLamb

Wonder how many mosquitos you let in waiting for the bird to go out!
susie


29 posted on 11/16/2005 2:16:09 PM PST by brytlea (I'm not a conspiracty theorist....really.)
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To: grjr21

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"


30 posted on 11/16/2005 2:17:17 PM PST by taxesareforever (Government is running amuck)
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To: grjr21

When I get home today, I will go out and shoot 5 sparrows.

I don't know why--just because this story pisses me off.


31 posted on 11/16/2005 2:20:11 PM PST by San Jacinto
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To: grjr21

HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!


32 posted on 11/16/2005 2:23:22 PM PST by Great Caesars Ghost (Islamism = Islamic Supremacism & = racist ideology, not political.)
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To: grjr21

What are they going to do to the guy with the unlicensed air rifle?


33 posted on 11/16/2005 2:23:47 PM PST by Great Caesars Ghost (Islamism = Islamic Supremacism & = racist ideology, not political.)
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To: BadAndy

They euthanize too, in the Netherlands.


34 posted on 11/16/2005 2:25:10 PM PST by Great Caesars Ghost (Islamism = Islamic Supremacism & = racist ideology, not political.)
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To: WasDougsLamb

Who cares? It was a bird! One time my cousin and me caught a sparrow because we wanted to see what was going on inside.... well enough of that.


35 posted on 11/16/2005 2:26:26 PM PST by Great Caesars Ghost (Islamism = Islamic Supremacism & = racist ideology, not political.)
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To: WasDougsLamb

Bird in the house -- bad luck.

It was a bird. Save your tears. You may need them later.


36 posted on 11/16/2005 2:28:09 PM PST by Great Caesars Ghost (Islamism = Islamic Supremacism & = racist ideology, not political.)
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To: Itzlzha

I love that cat picture...one of the funniest I've seen on FR.


37 posted on 11/16/2005 2:30:14 PM PST by dinoparty (In the beginning was the Word)
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To: WasDougsLamb
But they got a different record now --- the most dominos knocked down by a common sparrow.

Do you think maybe some people have way too much time on their hands?

38 posted on 11/16/2005 2:37:26 PM PST by Ditto ( No trees were killed in sending this message, but billions of electrons were inconvenienced.)
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To: WasDougsLamb
A sparrow flew into my sunroom a couple of years ago and we propped the door open and let it out. Problem solved.

It didn't knock over any of the millions of dominoes you had spent thousands of hours setting up in your sunroom? Wow. You got lucky.

39 posted on 11/16/2005 2:37:45 PM PST by Wissa
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To: grjr21; aculeus; dighton; general_re; Lijahsbubbe; Charles Henrickson; martin_fierro; ...
The Dutch animal protection agency said Tuesday it is investigating the shooting death of a sparrow that knocked over 23,000 dominoes during an attempt to set a world record.

Did the sparrow succeed? What was the previous record for sparrow-downed dominoes?

World record or not, at least he died doing what he loved.

40 posted on 11/16/2005 2:41:20 PM PST by Thinkin' Gal (As it was in the days of NO...)
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