Rifleman, spare that sparrow!

[flowomo]

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- A Dutch television show claimed to have knocked down a chain of more than 4.1 million dominoes Friday in a new world record, but organizers conceded the event was overshadowed by the earlier shooting of an errant sparrow.

The sparrow was killed by an exterminator with an air rifle on Monday after it knocked down 23,000 dominoes. The killing was seen by many as an overreaction and angered animal rights and bird protection groups.

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....

More than 5,000 people signed a condolence register on an impromptu Web site set up to honor the bird, and Dutch media reported that the guard who shot the bird received death threats.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/news/story?id=2229086

[flowomo]

1. this made me think of that incredible Randy Johnson video...

where he kills a pigeon with a fastball.

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/birdball.html

not the same... but made me think of it.

[NMMNG]

2. What a prat

Oh, I'm a big man because I killed an innocent bird who knocked down my toys. :sarcasm:

[flowomo]

3. didn't please the Dutch much!

[NMMNG]

4. I'm glad

In some parts of this country that guy would have been praised as a hero. :eyes:

[obxhead]

5. Damn those reporters...

When you're talking about the effort to set up dominoes, that extra 55,476 means quite a bit.