Dutch Agency Cries Fowl Play in Shooting
Nov 15
By TOBY STERLING
Associated Press Writer
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands
The Dutch animal protection agency demanded prosecution Tuesday for the shooting 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 Monday in the northern city of Leeuwarden, where employees of TV company Endemol NV had worked for weeks setting up more than 4 million dominoes in an attempt to break the official Guinness World Record for falling dominoes.
The common house sparrow _ of a species on the national endangered list_ was chased into a corner and shot by an exterminator with an air rifle.
"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," said agency spokesman Niels Dorland. "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?" he asked.
Dorland said the agency plans to submit the case to national prosecutors.
The Endemol organizers, who are out to break their own record of 3,992,397 dominoes during a live television broadcast on Friday, defended the killing.
"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," said Endemol spokesman Jeroen van Waardenberg.
He said the company was considering some kind of memorial or mention for the dead bird during the television broadcast Friday.
Dorland, the animal protection group spokesman, scoffed.
"I think they were awfully fast to pull out a rifle. If a person started knocking over a few dominoes they wouldn't shoot him would they?"
Hans Peeters, director of the Netherlands Bird Protection agency, said the killing was uncalled for.
"They could have captured it or sedated it or something," he said.
Nov 15
By TOBY STERLING
Associated Press Writer
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands
The Dutch animal protection agency demanded prosecution Tuesday for the shooting 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 Monday in the northern city of Leeuwarden, where employees of TV company Endemol NV had worked for weeks setting up more than 4 million dominoes in an attempt to break the official Guinness World Record for falling dominoes.
The common house sparrow _ of a species on the national endangered list_ was chased into a corner and shot by an exterminator with an air rifle.
"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," said agency spokesman Niels Dorland. "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?" he asked.
Dorland said the agency plans to submit the case to national prosecutors.
The Endemol organizers, who are out to break their own record of 3,992,397 dominoes during a live television broadcast on Friday, defended the killing.
"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," said Endemol spokesman Jeroen van Waardenberg.
He said the company was considering some kind of memorial or mention for the dead bird during the television broadcast Friday.
Dorland, the animal protection group spokesman, scoffed.
"I think they were awfully fast to pull out a rifle. If a person started knocking over a few dominoes they wouldn't shoot him would they?"
Hans Peeters, director of the Netherlands Bird Protection agency, said the killing was uncalled for.
"They could have captured it or sedated it or something," he said.
I'm with you, Barbaton.
