Posted on 09/04/2006 4:48:08 AM PDT by libstripper
CAIRNS, Australia - 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 Oceans Deadliest when he swam too close to one of the animals, which have a poisonous bard on their tails, his friend and colleague John Stainton said.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Agreed. God be with his family.
You had one hell of a ride Steve. Sorry to see you go. Prayers for your family.
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BARD
BARB
Sad news, I liked his show. Prayers for his wife, Terri, and their children.
He was always enjoyable to watch.
What a shame. He always came across as a great, fun-loving galoot who loved nature, loved animals, and loved what he did and sharing it with people all over the Earth.
The world is poorer for his passing, and he will be missed.
Steve Irwin was neither crazy nor reckless, and the one thing he stressed in each and every one of his programs was to never take wild animals for granted, always assume they have the potential to harm or kill you, and not to take unnecessary risks.
He spent his life learning about nature and the creatures within, and he knew that constituted greater risk than the average person will ever know. We've all seen more than a few clips of him interacting with (and sometimes jumping away from) crocodiles, deadly snakes, you name it, and while there was always the element of showmanship about him, he always exercised the maximum amount of caution and in my view, acted responsibly at all times.
Steve Irwin was a good and decent man who loved his family and loved to bring nature into the homes of everyone who saw his programs. He was a credit to every Australian, from all reports he lived an honorable life, and he will be remembered that way, while the snide comments from some regarding his death will be quickly forgotten as swiftly as the writers of those sneers.
Rest in Peace Steve.
RIP Steve
I didn't think it would be a gater that got him. He knew land critters. He'd worked around them all his life. Then he needed novelty to keep his audience, and branched out into dealing with critters he didn't know as well
Couldn't have said it better based on how I feel.
I loved Steve Irwin and I thought he was a great risky type of guy. I wouldn't have done all he did, but that was his passion and his life. RIP Steve and God bless your family!
To paraphrase Archie Bunker, would you have preferred he had been pushed out a window?
Wow! A stingray? You would think that a croc or lion or snake bite? RIP. :(
No argument that he knew animals well, but I thought he did the "crazy" stuff just for the cameras. It makes for "good TV" I guess. I guess a NASCAR race with no helmets, seatbelts or roll cages would too. Other people who really know these critters too don't take the foolish chances that he did.
Well said, my friend. I truly felt sadness when I heard this on TV this morning.
Surf Lifesavers national marine stinger adviser Lisa-Ann Gershwin said there had only been 17 fatal stingray attacks worldwide. "I think it's just an extraordinary freak accident that has happened to his heart," she said.
"A lot of people will be afraid by this, but they need to keep in mind that this was a freak accident, it was a terrible tragedy but it is not common."
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