RIP: Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter

[guff]

Steve Irwin died from a stingray attack.

You knew an animal was going kill him, just didn't know which one. I wouldn't have guessed stingray.

 

[A2McGowan]

Really sad......didn't know he had a son in '03.....and a daughter in '98. RIP buddy.

 

[Vince Young]

Apparently, the sting was a one-in-a-million shot that got him right in the chest and actually punctured his heart. A couple inches in any direction, and he'd still be alive with yet another amazing story to tell, probably without even needing hospitalization.

What a shame...

 

[tommy]

thats what you get when you mess with wild animals

 

[maison bleu]

thats what you get when you mess with wild animals

Like Lions and Wolverines?

 

[BGIF]

Lions yes, but Irwin didn't bother with weasels like wolverines.

He was The Croc Hunter not the Varmint Hunter.

R.I.P. Steve.

"Crikey"

 

[DanoMingea]

He was the best....R.I.P Steve

 

[ralphwaldoemerson]

thats what you get when you mess with wild animals

He didn't mess with any wild animals in this instance. He was simply swimming with a film crew. It was a freak accident that could have happened to any diver. The stingray is not a dangerous animal.

Anyway, this is incredibly sad. This was a truly great man. He was not just an actor, but a real knowledgeable environmentalist, zoologist, and conservationist. He did more for animal conservation than anyone I can think of. The "he messed with wild animals," "it was only a matter of time" stuff is silly. This man was an expert. He would probably have lived an entire long life of doing what he did, and would never have been killed or seriously injured. His peers considered him extraordinarily knowledgeable about the nature of the animals he messed with, so that where you or I wouldve been in danger, he wasn't. He leaves behind two young children, a wife, a zoo, and a cause he really loved and fought hard for. The world got that much worse when he died.

RIP and God bless, Steve.

 

[A2McGowan]

Absolutely perfectly written Waldo......some people have a very high zest for life, and Steve had it. God bless his family.

 

[jiggafini19]

Probability is gravity.

This was bound to happen sooner or later. I can't fault the guy for what he loved doing, though, even if it was dangerous.

We spent some lazy time watching Irwin on TV during college.

"Crikey!!"

 

[Irish Envy]

All I know is I sure hope they don't release the video and they either destroy the footage or hide it well.

 

[Óglaigh_na_hÉireann]

He was a likable guy. I definitely thought it was weird how he held his son while feeding a gator, but that shouldn't overshadow the good person that he was. So in that respect, I think it's heartless for the media to bring that event to attention. He was on Conan pretty often and was one of my favorite guests.

 

[pappy]

All I know is I sure hope they don't release the video and they either destroy the footage or hide it well.

I couldn't agree more Boda, but sadly, you know something will leak out.

 

[irishnd31]

I kind of lost respect for Ol Steve when he was on camera dangling his infant son over an alligator's mouth. But still, I don't wish this on anybody and he seemed like a very nice man.

 

[NDAlumSon]

The "he messed with wild animals," "it was only a matter of time" stuff is silly. This man was an expert. He would probably have lived an entire long life of doing what he did, and would never have been killed or seriously injured.

You mean like this guy.

 

[ChiND]

RWE, the crew are the ones that actually stated that he was working with dangerous animals and they knew that this could happen one day. Additionally, he was swimming above the stingray in a non-threatening way for an episode on dangerous and deadly creatures. I really liked this guy, but also have to say that I would not provide him life insurance.

 

[guff]

There is a morbid part of me that wants to see the video. If given the opportunity to see it I'm not sure I would but to say I have no desire to see would be a lie.

 

[ralphwaldoemerson]

The "sooner or later" people don't make any sense. "This" didn't happen. He didn't get killed by a dangerous animal. It's tantamount to being killed by a bee sting. It's a complete freak accident. His was I think the 5th death in Australia's history from this. If he'd not had this freak accident happen, he'd very likely have lived a long life of being around dangerous animals without ever being seriously hurt, or killed. When considering "probability" you have to factor in that he'd been around dangerous animals since he was literally in the crib, and was world renowned (even by experts) for understanding, better than about anyone else, the behavior and dangers of the animals he was around. This guy would never have been killed by a dangerous animal - or if he had, it wouldn't have been a "well that doesn't surprise me" situation. It would only have "not surprised" people who didn't really know much about the situation, and saw it as "crazy TV guy messes with dangerous animals all the time, bound to get killed." Experts in the field would have been shocked if a crocodile or snake had killed Irwin. You or I are in more danger driving on a highway than he was handling crocs or snakes.

 

[ralphwaldoemerson]

You mean like this guy.

Yea, that guy was an idiot and a joke. Pure performer and nut, not at all serious about what he was doing.

 

[Guest]

There has only been 17 documented cases of people in the world dying from stringrays, so its pretty amazing that he died that way. The sting left a palm size hole in his heart, he actually removed the sting himself, but died immediately after.

I always felt the guy was invincible because of the crazy things he did, but it goes to show you that no one is invincible.

Read somewhere that he was bitten by many poisonous snakes throughout his life, and that his crew would always have to carry certain snake poision anecdotes to save him after he was bitten. Came close to dying on more then one occasion.

 

[tommy]

yea wasnt it so cute when he was dangaling his new born baby in front of a 15 foot croc give me a break i wouldnt want to see any one die for any reason but if you play with fire you get burned and as for the sting ray isnta dangerous animal comment tell good ole steve that

 

[irishfan81]

Ok kids don't try this whenever your out in the wild don't mess with gators, crocks, sting rays and other ones or else you will die shortly after. But there will never be another Steve Irwin R.I.P.

 

[NDAlumSon]

Steve Irwin redux

Steve Irwin redux

There has only been 17 documented cases of people in the world dying from stringrays...

[FONT=Verdana,Arial, Helvetica]
[/FONT]
Do I hear 18?

 

[Guest]

[FONT=Verdana,Arial, Helvetica]
[/FONT]
Do I hear 18?

wow its amazing how these things rarely ever happen, but when they do they come in abundances.

Like last year for example, when Florida had a few cases of allegators attacking, and killing people. Prior to that there were only a few cases over 50 years or so of that occurring in Florida.

 

[NDAlumSon]

The most amazing part is, the guy was tooling along the INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY !
Not on the ocean. Not fishing. Just pleasure cruising. Unreal !
Open heart surgery to remove the barb this afternoon.
Irwin should have left his in.

 

[NDAlumSon]

Update

Update

Like I said earlier, Steve should have left it in.
[FONT=Verdana,Arial, Helvetica][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Man remains critical after stingray jumps in his boat and stabs him in heart[/FONT][/FONT]