The Domino Sparrow was handed over to the Natural History Museum of Rotterdam on Thursday, 15 December. Read more about it on the museum’s website.
The sparrow that was killed last month in the Netherlands after it knocked over 24.000 dominoes will be preserved and exhibited in the Natural History Museum of Rotterdam. Read more on the museum’s website.
Yesterday the frozen body of the “domino sparrow” arrived at her final resting place, the Rotterdam Nature Museum. The sparrow, a female, was shot dead on 14 November after knocking over some dominoes prior to Domino Day. The sparrow will eventually be displayed at the museum in part of a larger exhibit on sparrows.
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It’s natural for king penguins to add extra weight during the winter months; it helps them cope with the severe climate of their surroundings. But zookeppers at the Asahiyama Zoo in Japan keep their penguins fit by taking them for walks twice a day. Read more about it at CNN.com.
An owl high on marijuana is found in a family’s Christmas tree.
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There’s a flu-shot shortage in the U.S. and here in Holland people have to jump through hoops if they want one. But a zoo in Rotterdam is doing something to protect a group even more at risk. Rotterdam Zoo “Blijdorp” has become the first zoo in Europe to vaccinate resident birds against bird flu. Penguins, flamingos and even the ducks in the ponds have been injected as prevention against the virus.
Zoos in so-called “high-risk areas”, where many migratory birds visit, should protect their birds against the flu via vaccinations or isolation of the zoo birds. Blijdorp is not in a “high-risk area” but did the vaccinations as a safety precaution.
The vaccinations were given as a preventative measure before the migration season in spring 2006. There is a chance that migratory birds from Africa will bring the virus with them when they start returning to the Netherlands as early as February. With this immunization the zookeepers hope that their in-house birds will build up a resistance to the virus.
The vaccinations have two parts. The first shots were administered on Tuesday and a follow up shot will be given in six weeks. After that the birds should be flu-resistant for a year.
The veterinarians had difficulty injecting the ostriches. They were so strong that it took four persons to hold the birds down in order to administer the shot.
Originally posted on wolfstad.
The Dutch government has fined the killer of the Domino-Day sparrow EUR 200. According to Dutch law, the shooter violated the “Flora and Fauna” Act because the bird was a protected species.
Meanwhile, news agency NOS today reported that the body of the sparrow will be displayed in the Nature Museum in Rotterdam. A source from the museum said, “It is an animal with a story and therefore our museum gladly takes (the sparrow).” The bird will be part of an exhibit on sparrows which will go on display at the end of 2006.
See also: Domino-Day sparrow condolences book
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Originally posted on wolfstad.
