Bird Almost Ruins Domino Record. Bird Shot Dead

[mcs328]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051114/ap_on_fe_st/netherlands_domino_bird

Bird Nearly Ruins Dominoes Record Attempt

Mon Nov 14, 5:01 PM ET

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - A sparrow knocked over 23,000 dominoes in the Netherlands, nearly ruining a world record attempt before it was shot to death Monday, the state news agency reported.

The unfortunate bird flew through an open window at an exposition center in the northern city of Leeuwarden where employees of television company Endemol NV have worked for weeks setting up more than 4 million dominoes in an attempt to break the official Guinness World Record for falling dominoes on Friday night.

Only a system of 750 built-in gaps in the chain prevented the bird from knocking most or all of the dominoes over ahead of schedule, "Domino Day" organizers were quoted as saying by the NOS news agency.

The bird was shot by an exterminator with an air rifle while cowering in a corner.

The organizers are out to break their own record of 3,992,397 dominoes set last year with a new record of 4,321,000.
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That's a little bit extreme don't you think. There could have been better ways to remove the bird. :nono:

[raimin]

why would they have an air rifle while setting up dominoes?

well, good eating for lunch at least :D

[Markel]

I can already imagine the P.E.T.A. (I think they should change their name to People for the Intelligent Treatment of Animals) response....

[avlena]

why would they have an air rifle while setting up dominoes?

well, good eating for lunch at least :D

it said it was an exterminator, so I guess they called someone.

it does seem extreme - if the bird was already "cowering in a corner", why not just put a net over it and catch it for a safe release? poor birdie... :disa:

[Cubsfan]

it said it was an exterminator, so I guess they called someone.

it does seem extreme - if the bird was already "cowering in a corner", why not just put a net over it and catch it for a safe release? poor birdie... :disa:
I'm guessing that if it would get away, it would probably knock over more dominos.

[Prisoner 24601]

Yeah, I thought that was ridiculous for punishing the bird after the fact like it knew what it was doing!!! If anything shoot the idiots who planned it out in the open and free the world from them!

[mcs328]

According to the article it was in a building with an open window. I've read some followups that some people are heading over to topple the dominos themselves by physically tipping them or creating a lot of vibration.

[DarkFury]

That's a little bit extreme don't you think. There could have been better ways to remove the bird. :nono:
Probably not without the possibility of more dominoes getting knocked over accidentally... which was probably their main concern over the life of the bird. (I'm not justifying it... but rationalizing it.)


why would they have an air rifle while setting up dominoes?

well, good eating for lunch at least :D They called an exterminator (i.e. "The Terminator" :heh: )... he had the air rifle. He probably had nothing to do with the event other than the removal of the bird.

[Grimm]

Yeah, I thought that was ridiculous for punishing the bird after the fact like it knew what it was doing!!! If anything shoot the idiots who planned it out in the open and free the world from them!
It was natural selection. The bird flew into a den of predators who were protecting something. The removal of this animal from the gene pool is beneficial to the species as it makes it marginally less likely that the behavior will continue.

/edit to make markel quit whining

[ShawnLee]

"Dead bird? We're eating tonight!"

[Markel]

It was natural selection. The berd flew into a den of preditors who were protecting something. The remobal of this animal from the gene pool is benificial to the species as it makes it marginaly less likely that the behavior will ocntinue.
Man, I can overlook a lot, but I'm calling out the spelling police on this one! :heh:

[mcs328]

Man, I can overlook a lot, but I'm calling out the spelling police on this one! :heh:

G|A timeout make Grimm go something something. :)

[angl2b]

a bit extreme I think...:hmm:

[mcs328]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051119/ap_on_re_eu/netherlands_dominoes;_ylt=AmTRqY7QUTeaYfnmbHO81r8sQE4F;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

Ah nice...seems the dead bird is listed as an endangered species also. Wonderful.

[Thesifer]

Yeah, I don't see a reason to kill a bird especially endangered (of which an "exterminator" should know) To save a Dominoe Record.

[DarkFury]

I don't think Sparrows are "endangered". :shrug:

[nickel]

wrong place, wrong time, for that birdie.

[Thesifer]

I don't think Sparrows are "endangered". :shrug:
It later emerged that the house sparrow, though common, is classified as an endangered species in the Netherlands. Its population has halved in the past 20 years to less than 1 million breeding pairs, due to human encroachment on its territory.

[Markel]

It later emerged that the house sparrow, though common, is classified as an endangered species in the Netherlands.
Sheesh - what's next, pigeons? rats? mosquitos?

[blueindian]

Sheesh - what's next, pigeons? rats? mosquitos?

cockroaches.

[DarkFury]

It later emerged that the house sparrow, though common, is classified as an endangered species in the Netherlands. Its population has halved in the past 20 years to less than 1 million breeding pairs, due to human encroachment on its territory.
Ahhh.... ok, I hadn't seen that. What article did that come from?

Thanks for the update.

[Grimm]

Consider how many thousands of man-hours went into that attempt. While setting up a dominoe only takes a second, there is planning, design, aquireing and handling millions of dominoes, security, and actualy placing the dominoes without knocking over 5000 dominoes before a cutout stops the disaster.

The expense probably exceeds that of the value of you home. So, given the choice. Would you kill one of two million breeding "endangered" sparrows, or see your home destroyed? I would kill the bird. Now if it was a recognisable birs that was seriously endangered, I would not consider shooting it, for example a California Condor. But with the value of the project at stake, killing one sparrow isn't unreasonable.