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His name was Steve Irwin, but kids knew him as the "The Crocodile Hunter." He was the blond-mopped Aussie who grappled with slimy, scaly and sharp-toothed beasts on Animal Planet and explained what's interesting about them besides their scary looks.
Irwin, amazingly, is gone _ killed last week at the age of 44 by a stingray on the Great Barrier Reef, off Australia. He died on one of the adventures his audiences loved him for _ in this case, swimming with a stingray. The ray stabbed him in the chest with its poisonous tail barb. Irwin reportedly pulled it out, but he died while being treated on his research ship, the Croc One.
The swim was to be part of a TV show on the Great Barrier Reef, and the freak attack had been reportedly caught on film. We hope never to see it.
What distinguishes Irwin from other wild-animal entrepreneurs attacked by their subjects is that he educated as well as entertained. His was not a circus act such as Siegfried & Roy, during which a tiger mauled and almost killed Roy Horn. Nor was he the same sort of publicity hound as Timothy Treadwell, a Malibu bartender who claimed to befriend grizzly bears. Treadwell lived among the bears in the wild until one killed him.
Irwin was a naturalist first. He gave names to bears to draw audiences into his lessons. He was also a conservationist, who helped turn his parents' modest reptile park into Australia Zoo, an important wildlife reserve.
According to witnesses, Irwin had done nothing to provoke the stingray. He was swimming over him in shallow water; the tail sprang up to spike him. Irwin was above all unlucky. Stingray fatalities are rare.
Much information on stingrays can now be found on the Animal Planet's Web site for The Crocodile Hunter. It is offered in fitting memory of Steve Irwin.
Aussie hero
our Aussie hero will forever be in our hearts... no one will ever, ever, EVER replace him he is the true aussie 'croc hunter'
xoxoxo
steve irwin
I was so saddened to hear of his death. It is agreat lose to the world. My children loved his shows and listened to his every word. Our hearts were broken and our thoughts and prayers go to Terri and the family. God bless all of you.
The Harding Family from Berea, KY
Steve Irwin
Judging by the tone of this column, it sounds like Roy Horn deserved what he got and Steve Irwin didn't? Roy is just as big of a conservationist as Irwin and has done much across the U.S. and Germany to ensure that people know about endangered animals.
It is unfortunate what happened to Steve Irwin -- he was a great person and educator; however, just because his approach was different than Roy Horn's doesn't mean his life is/was more valuable. I'm sure Roy Horn counts his lucky stars every day over the fact he survived such a terrible, traumatic event.
Steve Irwin
Steve Irwin was the best and no-one can ever replace him. He loved the animals and lived for them. He will be sorely missed, by me, at least, and believe the whole of Australia will miss him too. Sincere feelings for his family.
Kiwi Girl
Steve
Thank you for making mention of how Steve was different from Roy Horn and Timothy Treadwell. I have already seen people blasting Steve and comparing him to these two. Though Roy Horn also contributes money to conservation... well he trains tigers and lions to do tricks for him. This is far different than Steve Irwin, who simply throws meat at the crocs in his show to show his visitors their majesty. And Timothy Treadwell, well he was crazy and thought he could talk to the bears.
Many people have said he deserved what he got. Why? because he was man enough to stand up for the animals? No, he didn't only film a show. He also contributed copious amounts of money to conservation, he also was considered a valuable researcher, he helped to turn the reptile park into the Autralia Zoo, he relocated problem crocs and even gave some a squat in his park... a place to live out the rest of their days well fed and happy.
Steve Irwin was no cheap showman. He was a true nature saviour. I will miss him for his shows, how I was able to connect to him, but I will also miss him because the animal world will be lost without him.
steve
i am really sorry to hear about ur lose i loved to watch steve on tv and he even got my boyfriend to start liking snakes he was a really good person and i will miss him so much