Stingray kills 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin
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My kids, especially our son, is a big fan of his programming and will miss him dearly.
starlan
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Very sad, he was a great man who has done a lot for conservation. He was also a very unique character and full of life and energy and enthusiasm. I still cant believe it either, I feel very sad for his family - he must have been such a hero for all of them and they are all great people who really do care about what they do and dont seem to let fame get to their head. What a shame to go the way he did. Such a tragic accident and so sad that it happens to a person who was doing so much to make the world a better place for both humans and animals.
Rest In Peace Steve Irwin. You will be missed greatly.
Rest In Peace Steve Irwin. You will be missed greatly.
gangrel441
Contributor
Diver Dennis:
Treadwell was a complete kook that was living in some kind of altered reality. I will stop just short of saying he deserved what he got.
Steve had a healthy respect for the animals he dealt with, and his work extended well beyond picking a fight with the government and trying to convince a bunch of bears that he was one of them.
No comparison at all. Not even close.
Diver Dennis
Contributor
Hey, cool down gangrel. The point was that they both got very close to wild animals. There have been many in the same line of work that have said he was too close to the edge. Where did I say he was exactly like Treadwell?
Reports are that he was alive long enough to pull the barb from his chest. He was snorkeling when this happened. There is video and the Discovery Networks will release the footage if his family grants permission. Obviously they are not concerned with that at this point. I was watching some episodes on the Animal Planet tonight...special programming because of this event.....it was nice to get some background info on the man.
For those of you who need to read to believe:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20355112-601,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20356503-601,00.html
For those of you who need to read to believe:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20355112-601,00.html
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20356503-601,00.html
Storm
Contributor
drbill:
I’ve got to agree.
First off let me offer my condolences to his family and friends.
I am also of mixed emotions. I only watched brief bits of his show as I often felt that he was extremely reckless and although he appeared to admire the various species he interacted with, he appeared to lack respect for them and their capabilities.
I also felt that he broke just about every rule with regards to interacting with wildlife, and inflicted a tremendous amount of stress on his subjects just to get that good shot.
I too am a bit surprised by the reaction as I have read many posts here telling novice divers to please respect the wildlife we observe and not interact, or interfere with them, but those comments were usually directed at the non celebrity.
It is surprising that it was a ray, but I often felt after watching a few of his antics, that he was tempting Darwin a bit too much, and that one day one of his subjects would get the better of him...but I still hoped that it wouldn't happen.
That being said, his contributions to wildlife conservation were admirable, his grin contagious, and his tragic end a loss to his family, friends and fans.
Considering that Steve has succesfully reproduced, natural selection does not apply and he is automatically disqualified from potential Darwin Award candidacy.
Storm
Contributor
jonnythan:
Soory I did not mean to imply that he would qualify, simply that some of his on screen antics would qualify as potential Darwin fodder.
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http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP34161.htm
By Paul Tait
SYDNEY, Sept 4 (Reuters)
Steve Irwin, the quirky Australian naturalist who won worldwide acclaim as TV's khaki-clad "Crocodile Hunter", was killed by a stingray barb through the heart while filming a new documentary on Monday.
Irwin, 44, tangled with some of the world's most dangerous animals but he died in an extremely rare attack by a normally placid sea creature while he was diving on a reef off Port Douglas in northern Queensland.
"He came over the top of a stingray and the stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart," Irwin's shocked manager John Stainton told reporters in Cairns, south of Port Douglas.
A helicopter rushed paramedics to nearby Low Isles where Irwin was taken for treatment, but he was dead before they arrived, emergency officials said.
"It became clear fairly soon that he had non-survivable injuries," Dr. Ed O'Loughlin, who treated Irwin, told Nine Network television.
"He had a penetrating injury to the left front of his chest. He had lost his pulse and wasn't breathing," he said.
Irwin's death was likely only the third recorded fatal stingray attack in Australia, experts said. They said stingray venom was agonisingly painful but not lethal, although the barb was capable of causing horrific injuries like a knife or bayonet.
"It's not the going in, it's the coming out," Australian Venom Research Unit deputy director Dr Bryan Fry told Reuters.
"They have these deep serrations which tear and render the flesh as it comes out," he said.
"CRIKEY"
Known around the world for his catchphrase "Crikey" during close encounters with wild animals, Irwin made almost 50 documentaries which appeared on the cable TV channel Animal Planet. He became a virtual global industry generating books, interactive games and even toy action figures.
Irwin was described as "a modern-day Noah" and his death shocked world leaders, fellow naturalists and humble Australians who said he was "a bloody good bloke".
"I really do feel Australia has lost a wonderful and colourful son. He brought immense joy to millions of people, particularly to children, and it's just such a terrible loss," emotional Australian Prime Minister John Howard told reporters.
British naturalist and broadcaster David Bellamy described Irwin as a great performer and an excellent natural historian.
"He did take enormous risks, but he knew what he was doing. It was one of the terrible, terrible, terrible accidents and I wish to God it didn't happen," Bellamy told the BBC.
GREW UP WITH REPTILES
Born on Feb. 22, 1962, in the southern Australian city of Melbourne, Irwin moved to tropical Queensland where his parents ran a small reptile and fauna park.
He grew up near crocodiles, trapping and removing them from populated areas and releasing them in his parent's park. He took over the park in 1991 and renamed it the "Australia Zoo".
Irwin became famous for his seemingly death-defying skill with wild animals, including crocodiles and snakes.
He met his U.S.-born wife Terri at the zoo and the footage of their honeymoon -- which they spent trapping crocodiles -- formed the basis of his first "Crocodile Hunter" documentary.
Later shows had a worldwide audience of 200 million, or 10 times the population of Australia.
They had two children, Bindi Sue and Robert Clarence.
Irwin triggered outrage in 2004 by holding his then one-month-old son while feeding a snapping crocodile at his zoo.
He was also criticised for allegedly disturbing whales, seals and penguins while filming in Antarctica.
Irwin boasted that he had never been bitten by a venomous snake or seriously bitten by a crocodile, although admitted his worst injuries had been inflicted by parrots.
"I don't know what it is with parrots but they always bite me," Irwin once said. "A cockatoo once tried to rip the end of my nose off. I don't know what they've got against me."
By Paul Tait
SYDNEY, Sept 4 (Reuters)
Steve Irwin, the quirky Australian naturalist who won worldwide acclaim as TV's khaki-clad "Crocodile Hunter", was killed by a stingray barb through the heart while filming a new documentary on Monday.
Irwin, 44, tangled with some of the world's most dangerous animals but he died in an extremely rare attack by a normally placid sea creature while he was diving on a reef off Port Douglas in northern Queensland.
"He came over the top of a stingray and the stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart," Irwin's shocked manager John Stainton told reporters in Cairns, south of Port Douglas.
A helicopter rushed paramedics to nearby Low Isles where Irwin was taken for treatment, but he was dead before they arrived, emergency officials said.
"It became clear fairly soon that he had non-survivable injuries," Dr. Ed O'Loughlin, who treated Irwin, told Nine Network television.
"He had a penetrating injury to the left front of his chest. He had lost his pulse and wasn't breathing," he said.
Irwin's death was likely only the third recorded fatal stingray attack in Australia, experts said. They said stingray venom was agonisingly painful but not lethal, although the barb was capable of causing horrific injuries like a knife or bayonet.
"It's not the going in, it's the coming out," Australian Venom Research Unit deputy director Dr Bryan Fry told Reuters.
"They have these deep serrations which tear and render the flesh as it comes out," he said.
"CRIKEY"
Known around the world for his catchphrase "Crikey" during close encounters with wild animals, Irwin made almost 50 documentaries which appeared on the cable TV channel Animal Planet. He became a virtual global industry generating books, interactive games and even toy action figures.
Irwin was described as "a modern-day Noah" and his death shocked world leaders, fellow naturalists and humble Australians who said he was "a bloody good bloke".
"I really do feel Australia has lost a wonderful and colourful son. He brought immense joy to millions of people, particularly to children, and it's just such a terrible loss," emotional Australian Prime Minister John Howard told reporters.
British naturalist and broadcaster David Bellamy described Irwin as a great performer and an excellent natural historian.
"He did take enormous risks, but he knew what he was doing. It was one of the terrible, terrible, terrible accidents and I wish to God it didn't happen," Bellamy told the BBC.
GREW UP WITH REPTILES
Born on Feb. 22, 1962, in the southern Australian city of Melbourne, Irwin moved to tropical Queensland where his parents ran a small reptile and fauna park.
He grew up near crocodiles, trapping and removing them from populated areas and releasing them in his parent's park. He took over the park in 1991 and renamed it the "Australia Zoo".
Irwin became famous for his seemingly death-defying skill with wild animals, including crocodiles and snakes.
He met his U.S.-born wife Terri at the zoo and the footage of their honeymoon -- which they spent trapping crocodiles -- formed the basis of his first "Crocodile Hunter" documentary.
Later shows had a worldwide audience of 200 million, or 10 times the population of Australia.
They had two children, Bindi Sue and Robert Clarence.
Irwin triggered outrage in 2004 by holding his then one-month-old son while feeding a snapping crocodile at his zoo.
He was also criticised for allegedly disturbing whales, seals and penguins while filming in Antarctica.
Irwin boasted that he had never been bitten by a venomous snake or seriously bitten by a crocodile, although admitted his worst injuries had been inflicted by parrots.
"I don't know what it is with parrots but they always bite me," Irwin once said. "A cockatoo once tried to rip the end of my nose off. I don't know what they've got against me."
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