gangrel441:
We haven't viewed the video evidence yet, but his friends have, his family has, and the authorities investigating his death have. All have said the same thing...that he did not in any way appear to be harassing the ray.
As for stressing the animals, Steve almost always took great care to place the animal back where it was taken from, be it the snake's den, the pond, the gopher's hole....I vividly remember many cases where he handled snakes who had just eaten. He made a point not to aggitate the snake too much, for fear of him regurgitating his meal which he had worked so hard for. That goes a bit beyond a divemaster puffing a pufferfish or breaking off a hunk of coral to point out a nudi...
Again I say, in all the time he lived this lifestyle, the best evidence I can offer that he actually knew what he was doing is that he had never been envenomated by a snake or seriously injured by a croc. The way he left us only tells us that he unwittingly let his guard down around a creature most of us (though perhaps not you) would not have considered threatening. Chalk it up to a miscommunication.
envenomated...a bit of symantec perhaps. He admitted to being bitten several times, but claimed the perpetrator not to be poisonous. I'll take him at his word. But bear in mind that some poisonous snakes do "dry" bite first, and then envenomate on subsequent bites so being not envenomated could merely be luck of the draw.
Perhaps familiarity breeds complacency. Having only seen a ray a few times in the wild, but having spent years reading about marine life (a personal passion), I have developed a healthy respect. One of the things I was taught by my father, during our many forays into the bush, was never to take a wild animal's perceived state for granted.
Also, someone out there is sending mixed messages...
From the Time artcile regarding his death.
Cropp says Irwin had accidently (sp) boxed the animal in, causing it to attack. "It stopped and twisted and threw up its tail with the spike, and it caught him in the chest," says Cropp. "It's a defensive thing. It's like being stabbed with a dirty dagger." Says Cropp: "It's a one-in-a-million thing. I have swum with many rays, and I have only had one do that to me."
Lets look at this.
"It stopped" -- inferring that the ray was swiming, possibly away, before it attacked.
"It twisted and threw up up it's(sp) tail" It sounds like it was being pursued. Given Mr. Irwin's past exploits, it has a familar ring, but to give him the benefit of the doubt, I will not assume that he was pursuing the ray.
"It's a defensive thing" - could indicate that Mr. Irwin has pushed the ray to its limit and it went defensive.
"Irwin had accidently (sp) boxed the animal in" - now in order to box it in he would have either had to addicentally (sp) corner it by pure circumstance (swam over it while it rested in a place where it could not escape, or pursue it to a place wher it could not escape.
Considering the word "stopped" is in there, I would surmise, based on the statement alone, that Mr Irwin, pursued the ray until it ran out of places to go then it turned and struck. Given his past record, and barring any further input, achems razor would say that Mr Irwin chased the ray until it finally had enough and went defensive.
It could be merely that Mr Irwin swam innocently swam over the ray and it went defensive, but according to you all believe, achems razor? or a one in a million freak of chance.
