'Crikey,' Steve Irwin's baby in croc shocker -

Herald Sun - Australia ^ | January 3, 2003 | Christine Caulfield

[UnklGene]

'Crikey,' Steve. You're going to be called a 'Wacko-Jacko'
from down-under!

[Mears]

I just saw this on my local news and I was horrified. The guy is an idiot and if the baby's mother approved this she is one also.

[what's up]

Irwin comes across as a wholesome family man...far from wacko.

He may even be a conservative, having been invited to Pres. Bush's BBQ last time he was in Australia.

Maybe this is why the media's after him.

[lormand]

Not too bright.

[LPStar]

No, people are after him because he put his baby in danger. Wild animals are just that - wild. You can have a wild animal that works well with you for years, and then goes nuts for reasons you did not guess.

[Williams]

Agreed but. If you want to return to the days of manly men and true individual freedom, non interference in families, and what not, then you can't cart someone off to jail for the life they choose for their family to lead. Having said all that, my own greatest paranoid-level nightmare is the possibility of mistakenly causing my child any harm. I think Steve crossed the line by believing in his own invincibility.

[Johnny_Cipher]

There's another thread on this topic here.

I found this quote interesting:

Irwin later told the Herald Sun: "If I had known it was going to cause a ruckus I would have thrown them (the media) out by their ears.

No criminal wants witnesses around, especially when they're carrying cameras and video equipment. Not that Steve Irwin is a criminal, just incredibly foolish in his exposing his own infant child to such a risk.

[Servant of the 9]

But Irwin -- recently named Queenslander of the year -- now faces possible investigation by Queensland police, the Department of Families, and workplace safety officers.

He's a dead man walking since being made Queenslander of the Year. They made "Crocodile Dundee" Australian of the year and then the next year they hunted him down and assasinated him.

So9

[what's up]

Statistically speaking, the chances of harm coming to the kid are probably 1 in 100,000 or more based on the lightening-fast instincts of the father and his 40 or so years of experience without having coming to harm in multitudes of episodes.

However, yes, there is the outside chance an unforeseen event could take place...I grant you that.

[onedoug]

Odds are, they're nature worshippers.

[sharkhawk]

First answer to those who say he knows the Croc, is an expert is Roy thought he knew his tigers.

[OldFriend]

Horrifying is the only word to describe this scene.

[what's up]

They don't strike me that way, but I don't know for sure.

[JoeSchem]

He may even be a conservative, having been invited to Pres. Bush's BBQ last time he was in Australia.

Maybe this is why the media's after him.

Or, it could be because he dangled his newborn baby IN FRONT OF A CROCODILE!!!!!!!

[what's up]

Did he dangle it in front of the croc? I hadn't heard that.

Now that would be wacko-jacko behavior.

[isthisnickcool]

However, yes, there is the outside chance an unforeseen event could take place...I grant you that.

They could have been hit by lightening. A tree might have falled on them. His wife might have had a brain tumor and suddenly had the urge to throw the child into the crocs mouth after Irwin handed the child to her. A huge meteor could have fallen on everyone there and killed them.

It's also possible that Steve Irwin had planned on driving somewhere with the child and that they both would have died in a car accident except that Irwin decided to feed the croc with the child.

The bottom line is that nothing happened. So what's the big deal.

If this thing with Steve Irwin is so fantastic when nothing happened then Tom Hamilton should be thrown in jail for letting his daughter surf around sharks. /sarcasm off

[Saundra Duffy]

Saw this on CNN. Sheeeeesh! After the crock jumped and chomped on the dead chicken, Daddy did a funny walking routine with the baby right into the crock's dirty water. Unbelievable.

[what's up]

After watching Steve Irwin many times I suspect the child would be in more danger of choking on his breakfast than coming to harm in his father's arms around a croc.

This may be a bit of a stretch, but I'm sure you get my point.

[wtc911]

Did you see the act? The law should be after him.