I never had any love for the dude, and you could kind of see him going this way eventually... but it's kind of shocking, really.
quote:
Stingray kills 'Crocodile Hunter'
SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Steve Irwin, the Australian TV presenter known as the "Crocodile Hunter," has died after being stung in a marine accident off Australia's north coast.
Australian media reports say Irwin was diving in waters off Port Douglas, north of Cairns, when the incident happened on Monday morning.
Irwin, 44 was killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest, according to Cairns police sources. Irwin was filming an underwater documentary at the time.
Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality Monday morning off Port Douglas, according to Australian media.
Queensland Police Services also confirmed Irwin's death and said his family had been notified. Irwin was director of the Australian Zoo in Queensland.
He is survived by his American-born wife Terri and their two children, Bindi Sue, born 1998, and Robert (Bob), born December 2003.
Irwin became a popular figure on Australian and international television through Irwin's close handling of wildlife, most notably the capture and relocation of crocodiles.
Irwin's enthusiastic approach to nature conservation and the environment won him a global following. He was known for his exuberance and use of the catch phrase "Crikey!"
But his image suffered a setback in January 2004 when he held his then 1-month-old baby Bob while feeding a crocodile at his Australian zoo. (Full story)
In a statement released to Australian media, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer expressed his sorrow and said that he was fond of Irwin and was very appreciative of all the work he had done in promoting Australia overseas.
In 2003, Irwin spoke to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.'s Australian Story television program about how he was perceived in his home country.
"When I see what's happened all over the world, they're looking at me as this very popular, wildlife warrior Australian bloke," he said, the ABC reported.
"And yet back here in my own country, some people find me a little bit embarrassing. "You know, there's this... they kind of cringe, you know, 'cause I'm coming out with 'Crikey' and 'Look at this beauty'."
Quite sad really, I liked the guy I thought he did a lot of good conservation work in Australia and abroad and apparently his enthusatic approach has led to a lot of children becoming intrested in protecting Australia's endangred animals. Who knows maybe in 10 years his duaghter will pick up what her old man did.
It is unsusal though to be killed by a Stingray but it sounds like he went pretty quickly. Seems the barb went into his heart and then there is the massive dose of venom he was probably dead before he could gather what had happend. I think Gabomans right we always knew he was going out this way but hey he died doing what he loved to do not many people will get that chance.
I always thought it would be funny to lose this dude, as he was a butt with that child dangling thing, and he was always tempting fate. Kind of a jerk really.
But death is so real, and I find I really am shocked and saddened by his death. It's really sad. Poor guy.
It's a blow to the Australian Celebrity front. Steve Irwin was one of the most Famous Aussies, next to Rolf Harris. Whether you like him or hate him I'm sure that he will be missed.
"there's only one way to win a war: shout, shout, and shout again!" - The Duke of Wellington ((Blackadder - Stephen Fry))
Hey I know who Rolf is, and don't forget Olivia Newton John. But this is about Steve, I know my kids grew up with Steve on the TV. My son (16) was all broken up over it. He felt really bad because he knew Steve had a wife and little kids.
What I liked about Steve was that his programs were better than the usual nature progarms you get, things like Crocodile Hunter took you close up to the animals and gave you a better understanding. I heard today that Steve never once used a script just his knowledge of the animal that he was dealing with, if that is true then it's pretty impressive when you consider all the shows he did.
I was really saddened to hear this when I awoke this morning. Although the incident with his baby brought a lot of criticism on him, I think most of the world quickly forgave him and love what he brought to the world -- a unique understanding of crocodiles and other reptiles while exhibiting wonderous enthusiasm for his profession. As for me, Steve will be sorely missed.
I feel bad for his family. But dude went out doing his job, what he loved doing. It was a really dangerous occupation and you can only risk it all so many times before... well, you know. He was aware of that and still went out there. Wrestling croc's and picking up deadly snakes is nuts. To be honest, I am surprised he wasn't jacked up long ago.
Suffice to say he was a lot more brave around wildlife than I will ever be and I gotta respect all the land he bought to protect, too.
It's only been something like 4 decades since someone was killed by a Stingray. It was a freak accident in which the barb on the tail pierced his heart. 1 in billion odds.
I watched something on Animal Planet about his life, I guess it was filmed in 2000. He has always been in front of a camera and at the age of 6 they showed him jumping out of a boat and onto a croc. His dad pulled them both out of the water and he just didn't let go. It was very interesting and I wish I would have recorded it.
I was shocked when I heard the news. I never expected him to go out this way. A stingray getting him like that just shows that when your time is up it is up. We never know how long we have on this world, and we should make the most of it. My condolence go out to all those that loved him.
I just can't say I was shocked. I mean, if a meteor hit him or some kind of non-job hazard took his life then yeah. Total bummer though, dude obviously had a lot of fans. I really didn't watch his show that much.
09-04-2006 08:32 AM
