CRIKEY!!!!!!!!

Wrecent_Wryder · September 05, 2006, 06:19:55 AM

23s

natedawg120 · September 05, 2006, 07:12:33 AM

Sledge, have you ever handled any of the kind of animals that he did? He did what he did in the name of conservation, he wanted to show everyone how beautiful these animals were and to let them know that if they ever saw one it would be best to leave it alone, call pros who know how to handle them - not just to break out a shovel or stick or gun and kill them. The reason he didn't wear gloves is because it is very very difficult to handle snakes while wearing gloves, and gloves won't help against a 500 lb or more croc. That is why he travels in teams with Drs and help. That is why if he goes up against a cobra that he can't identify he whips on glasses and uses a bag or something to distract it so that it can't spit at him and actually hit his eyes. I agree that it was dumb to take his some in the croc pit, really dumb. But i don't think anyone has the right to say he was stupid for doing what he loved, and am sad that he has passed. My condolences are out to his family and friends.

Stephen072774 · September 05, 2006, 07:22:39 AM

In some ways I liken him to Timothy Threadwell, the Grizzly man... His intentions were good, but they both ended up dead. What a shame.

pandy · September 05, 2006, 09:06:17 AM

We all end up dead eventually. I just hope that I die doing something that I'm passionate about and truly believe in and love, rather than just fade away drooling in an ol' folks home.

natedawg120 · September 05, 2006, 09:26:22 AM

Quote from: pandy on September 05, 2006, 09:06:17 AM
We all end up dead eventually. I just hope that I die doing something that I'm passionate about and truly believe in and love, rather than just fade away drooling in an ol' folks home.

+1 * a million

Stephen072774 · September 05, 2006, 09:50:13 AM

yeah, I'm passinate about life and my loved ones... and 44 is still too young to die. Sometimes passion gets in the way of good judgement.

LimaXray · September 05, 2006, 10:00:17 AM

This is really sad... I've always been impressed by him, he seemed to know what he was doing, know a lot about the animals, and to be as careful as one can be in his line of work. In any case, I guess I can't say I'm surprised he died playing with animals.

What's really crazy is sting rays really aren't dangerous creatures. Compared to alligators, crocodiles, snakes, huge ass turtles, and god knows what else he's been known to play with, sting rays are fluffy poodles.

I scuba dive and see sting rays all the time and they are never a concern. Sting rays are passive creatures and their only means of defense is a fairly small stinger at the base of their tail. The only problem I've ever heard of anyone having is accidentally stepping on a sting ray that buried itself in the sand and getting the stinger in their foot. Yeah, it's a trip to the hospital, but not exactly life threatening. It is very difficult and very rare for a sting ray to kill a human. Steve got the stinger right in the heart, talk about really really bad luck.

jackiei26 · September 05, 2006, 10:05:29 AM

I don't think its appropriate for a man to be judged by others who did not know him personally. But he showed himself off to the world as a very funny but loving and heartfelt man. My deepest sympathies to to the people who loved him dearly...Teri, Bindy Sue, Bob, his father, other family and friends at the Australia Zoo.

RIP

roguegeek · September 05, 2006, 07:15:05 PM

There's quite a lot of detail on how it happened from the Wikipedia article on him. Sounds very graphic, but it's still interesting to read. In the video that shows the whole incident, he was alive just long enough to pull the barb from his chest before he passed. I couldn't even imagine being the camera man that was filming the entire thing.

Dispite being absolutely nuts, he was quite the active naturalist and did a lot for that community. He will be missed for sure.

yamahonkawazuki · September 05, 2006, 08:12:14 PM

aye he may have been a showman, but also hes done alot for animals in general. what happened to him was a freak accident plain and simple

pandy · September 05, 2006, 08:13:31 PM

Quote from: yamahonkawazuki on September 05, 2006, 08:12:14 PM
aye he may have been a showman, but also hes done alot for animals in general. what happened to him was a freak accident plain and simple

Yeah....Every report I've seen on the news with this expert and that expert....all have agreed that this was an almost freakishly impossible accident.... almost..

Cannon Fodder · September 06, 2006, 05:57:54 AM

Quote from: LimaXray on September 05, 2006, 10:00:17 AM
This is really sad... I've always been impressed by him, he seemed to know what he was doing, know a lot about the animals, and to be as careful as one can be in his line of work. In any case, I guess I can't say I'm surprised he died playing with animals.

What's really crazy is sting rays really aren't dangerous creatures. Compared to alligators, crocodiles, snakes, huge ass turtles, and god knows what else he's been known to play with, sting rays are fluffy poodles.

I scuba dive and see sting rays all the time and they are never a concern. Sting rays are passive creatures and their only means of defense is a fairly small stinger at the base of their tail. The only problem I've ever heard of anyone having is accidentally stepping on a sting ray that buried itself in the sand and getting the stinger in their foot. Yeah, it's a trip to the hospital, but not exactly life threatening. It is very difficult and very rare for a sting ray to kill a human. Steve got the stinger right in the heart, talk about really really bad luck.

As a diver myself I can totally agree. With what I have run into around SC in the Atlantic, Keys and the Bahamas, Rays are not aggressive at all. Matter of fact the most aggressive thing I have run into thus far is a damn Barracuda, and they are more curious than anything unless your spear fishing. Irwin played with animals of all types; the difference between him and most zoos is that he played with them in their own territory, on their field and on their terms. It takes a lot of courage to do what he did, and probably a lot of stupidity when he was younger and learning to handle these animals, but he did it for a few different reasons. One was his love of animals, two was to show the beauty of them, and three was to educate to protect these magnificent creatures. Seeing some of these creatures, especially waterborne, on TV and then to view them in real life in their own natural habitat is something you have to experience to understand. Irwin died doing something he loved, we should all be so lucky..

Jeff P · September 06, 2006, 05:59:20 AM

I find it completely ridiculous that people on this board are disparaging the guy for being "reckless" or having poor judgement or whatever. We all ride motorcycles! Talk all you want about "managing the risks" but the fact of the matter is we all accept a much higher risk to ourselves when we're riding than we would if we just stuck to cars. Hypocrites.

If the accounts are true, the dude was killed in a freak accident, his work with snakes and crocodiles and whatnot would not obviously lead to this happening. Here's a picture of my wife and I looking silly holding a stingray in Grand Cayman. I basically grabbed it for a picture as it swam by. A couple hundred people do it every day down there any nobody ever gets killed.

jeff

Stephen072774 · September 06, 2006, 06:25:34 AM

He was who he was Jeff, I'm not knocking the guy for the way he died. He was excited, good-intentioned, brave, reckless, and a true daredevil.

Better to die that way, than chugging a bottle every day or hanging yourself in a stairwell somewhere.

You can appreciate what he was, without ignoring the dangerous and self-destructive behavior as well.

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CRIKEY!!!!!!!!