Steve Irwin, 44: Famed 'croc' Hunter

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

Steve Irwin, 44: Famed 'Croc' hunter

Sep. 4, 2006. 11:57 AM

 

 

CAIRNS, Australia (AP) — Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the Crocodile Hunter, was killed Monday by a stingray while filming off the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44.

 

Irwin was at Batt Reef, off the remote coast of northeastern Queensland state, shooting a segment for a series called Ocean's Deadliest when he swam too close to one of the animals, which have a poisonous barb on their tails, his friend and colleague John Stainton said.

 

"He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said Stainton, who was on board Irwin's boat at the time.

 

Crew members aboard the boat, Croc One, called emergency services in the nearest city, Cairns, and administered CPR as they rushed the boat to nearby Low Isle to meet a rescue helicopter. Medical staff pronounced Irwin dead when they arrived a short time later, Stainton said.

 

Irwin was famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchword "Crikey!" in his television program Crocodile Hunter. First broadcast in Australia in 1992, the program was picked up by the Discovery network, catapulting Irwin to international celebrity.

 

He rode his image into a feature film, 2002's The Crocodile Hunters: Collision Course and developed the wildlife park that his parents opened, Australia Zoo, into a major tourist attraction.

 

"The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest dads on the planet," Stainton told reporters in Cairns. "He died doing what he loved best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. He would have said, `Crocs Rule!' "

 

Prime Minister John Howard, who hand-picked Irwin to attend a gala barbecue to honour President George W. Bush when he visited in 2003, said he was "shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death."

 

"It's a huge loss to Australia," Howard told reporters. "He was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. He brought joy and entertainment and excitement to millions of people."

 

Irwin, who made a trademark of hovering dangerously close to untethered crocodiles and leaping on their backs, spoke in rapid-fire bursts with a thick Australian accent and was almost never seen without his uniform of khaki shorts and shirt and heavy boots.

 

Wild animal expert Jack Hanna, who frequently appears on TV with his subjects, offered praise for Irwin.

 

"Steve was one of these guys, we thought of him as invincible," Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo and Aquarium, told ABC's Good Morning America on Monday.

 

"The guy was incredible. His knowledge was incredible," Hanna said. "Some people that are doing this stuff are actors and that type of thing, but Steve was truly a zoologist, so to speak, a person who knew what he was doing. Yes, he did things a lot of people wouldn't do. I think he knew what he was doing."

 

Irwin's ebullience was infectious and Australian officials sought him out for photo opportunities and to promote Australia internationally.

 

His public image was dented in 2004, however, when he caused an uproar by holding his infant son in one arm while feeding large crocodiles inside a zoo pen. Irwin claimed at the time there was no danger to the child, and authorities declined to charge Irwin with violating safety regulations.

 

Later that year, he was accused of getting too close to penguins, a seal and humpback whales in Antarctica while making a documentary. Irwin denied any wrongdoing, and an Australian Environment Department investigation recommended no action be taken against him.

 

Stingrays have a serrated, toxin-loaded barb, or spine, on the top of their tail. The barb, which can be up to 25 centimetres long, flexes if a ray is frightened.

 

Stings usually occur to people when they step on or swim too close to a ray and can be excruciatingly painful but are rarely fatal, said University of Queensland marine neuroscientist Shaun Collin.

 

Collin said he suspected Irwin died because the barb pierced under his ribcage and directly into his heart.

 

"It was extraordinarily bad luck. It's not easy to get spined by a stingray and to be killed by one is very rare," Collin said.

 

News of Irwin's death spread quickly, and tributes flowed from all quarters of society.

 

At Australia Zoo at Beerwah, south Queensland, floral tributes were dropped at the entrance, where a huge fake crocodile gapes. Drivers honked their horns as they passed.

 

"Steve, from all God's creatures, thank you. Rest in peace," was written on a card with a bouquet of native flowers.

 

"We're all very shocked. I don't know what the zoo will do without him. He's done so much for us, the environment and it's a big loss," said Paula Kelly, a local resident and volunteer at the zoo, after dropping off a wreath at the gate.

 

Stainton said Irwin's American-born wife Terri, from Eugene, Ore., had been informed of his death, and had told their daughter Bindi Sue, 8, and son Bob, who will turn 3 in December.

 

The couple met when she went on vacation in Australia in 1991 and visited Irwin's Australia Zoo; they were married six months later. Sometimes referred to as the "Crocodile Huntress," she co-starred on her husband's television show and in his 2002 movie.

 

— — —

 

On the Net:http://www.crocodilehunter.com.au/crocodile_hunter/about_steve_terri/

 

10:39ET 04-09-06

 

Source: http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

 

Wow, this is indeed sad. I remember that I kept watching his shows day in day out. I even have his movie.

 

Your comments?

 

xboxrulz

Edited September 4, 2006 by xboxrulz (see edit history)

[Markymark2 0]

Hey mate your a bit late with this one ;(

http://forums.xisto.com/topic/91092-topic/?findpost=1064354634

[nightfox1405241487 0]

I heard about this and google searched it... I never thought it would happen... never.[N]F

[Alegis 0]

It is very ironic, the man who battles/wrestles crocodiles to be murdered by a fish.

 

I have troubles imagining the barb of a stringray to pierce through the man's chest. That must have been one bigass stingray.

 

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5311298.stm

 

My respect/awe for stingrays has increased. Never thought them to be capable of that.

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

lol, whoops, seems like I am, man it should've been in the news section instead of the lifetalk section.ya, i never would've imagined either.xboxrulz

[unimatrix 0]

You know, if you play with fire long enough....Wild animals are just that: wild. You never know what they are going to do and if you take enough chances, eventually your going to loose.

[austiniskoge 0]

Yeah, it's like that one guy who worked with grizzly bears all his life, doing research and documentaries and whatnot. Then one day he just got too close, and a mother bear just ripped him up.It's sad because you put your whole life into work with the animals, and they are the death of you...

[Innila 0]

Oh my Gosh! I couldnt believe the news when i heard that Steve is dead and that too bcos of a fish attack.He was a audacious fellow who could handle so many wild animals, and when it comes to crocodiles & snakes, i think he is the "best".As far as i've heard the stingray is a calm creature, it will attack when it is being disturbed. It should have been agitated too much so that it has attacked to the extent of killing a person. :-(May Steve's soul rest in peace.

[SP Rao 0]

That's very sad news indeed. Very tragic death, ain't it? Dying while doing something which he always loved to do, that too in which he was an expert is really tragic. Irony of life. One pulls so many stunts, never know which one backfires. This wasn't the first such incident I'm hearing, nor would it be the last.Cruel hands of fate (If at all it exists).May his soul rest in peace.

Edited September 7, 2006 by SP Rao (see edit history)

[ginginca 0]

Yes there's talk on most of the forums that I regularly participate in about Steve.It's been on my mind though wondering if he thought of himself being in danger ... or invincible. But no one will ever know what a person truly thinks of themselves.

[Chesso 0]

Yeah I saw it on the 6 o'clock news the other night, that really sucks.

[lonebyrd 0]

I feel bad for his family. They all spend their days around animals, even the children. To see him die to an animal has got to be a terrible blow to them all. The children have grown up around the animals, seen their dad with animals all their young lives. How do you explain to the young children that the man who 'plays' with animals got killed by one. I wonder what they are thinking right now. If they will still stay as close to the zoo that he was involved in or will they shy away?

[Chesso 0]

I wouldn't blame his wife for shying the children away from her husbands acts in a way.She might not want her children being near that anymore which is understandable, but you never know.

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

however, his wife Terri actually owns and works at the zoo regardless. The documentary that Stever Irwin was filming at the time of his death was surprising to be hosted by his daughter, Bindi Sue.xboxrulz

[xboxrulz1405241485 0]

I just learned that Steve also had swam with sting rays on numerous occasions, but I guess this time he was very unforunate to be killed by one.xboxrulz