Steve Irwin...
 

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20349888-2,00.html

RIP Steve (Croc Hunter)

Re: Steve Erwin...
 

I was just coming to post that. :( Sad day indeed.

Re: Steve Erwin...
 

I just can't believe it! He can't be gone, he still has way too many crocodiles to hunt. He did so much for promoting environmentalism and educating children about the wild... sad, sad day.

Re: Steve Erwin...
 

The amazing thing is that a stingray is about as dangerous as a kitten. Most likely one of the least perilous animals he's ever encountered.
It makes me think again about the wonderful time I had in Stingray City in Grand Cayman - these (apparently) deadly animals, begging for food and being as playful as puppies.
I'm sure we will all respect the beauty and awesome power of nature more because of the life and passing of Mr. Irwin.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

I was very shocked this morning to wake up and read that in a text message I got from a friend today.

It is a sad day indeed.

R.I.P. Steve.

Re: Steve Erwin...
 

I've always thought of Steve Irwin as being a person who defined what he believed by how he lived and what he did.
He was an excellent example of
living life to the fullest
respecting all life
doing what you love and being passionate about it.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

Steve Irwin was the man, 'nuff said.

At least he died doing what he loved.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

my friend said that people on World of Warcraft were making fun of him.

Losers...

Life ain't gonna be the same.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

I will definitely miss seeing a guy messing around with crocks all the time...and all the other animals he dealt with.

RIP Steve Irwin

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

As a biologist I find it difficult to come to terms with how Irwin's death effects me. I always thought he was rather foolhardy and a poor example to kids by doing unsafe things with dangerous reptiles. But I watched the shows nonetheless. And Irwin was having the kinds of adventures I like partaking in. Irwin took the mystery out of and showed the beauty of the reptiles he experienced. And if the public knew anything about reptiles such moronic movies as "Snakes on a Plane" would be booed off the screen.

I expected him to ultimately be claimed by one of the venomous snakes he free handled. Today's news about his death by stingray sting was a one in a billion freak accident. Stingrays are common as dirt in tropical seas. I've dived with them. They are innocuous as long as you dont step down on them. I cant imagine how Irwin got caught.

And over the past few years I came to realize that the majority of kids I know learned more about nature from watching Irwin's antics than anything else.

The fact is, if people dont know about nature they do nothing to preserve it. Irwin may have been a bit of a showman but he definitely got the message across that nature is something to be valued and not feared or destroyed. I know I'll miss him.

WC

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

Snakes on a Plane wouldn't be booed 'cuz of reptile info, a good amount of the crowd knew a good 'mount bout snakes to start, the movie is silly, stupid, and funny in that b-horror movie type of way, but I'm digressing.

I'll miss him, 'cuz his show was teh roxxorz, and... yeah, I can't make a post as long as Wayne above me, but... yeah.

His death's been all over the internet. BoingBoing got it, Sconex's been talking about it, the smaller sites that I visit have been all over it...

Makes me wonder--what'll happen on the internet when Chuck Norris finally round-house kicks the bucket?

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

Nothing about Steve Irwin and his approach to teaching the world about animals and the environment was orthodox. It was in this unusual approach that Steve Irwin filled the air waves, wrestling crocs and showing off deadly snakes, teaching millions about wildlife and the danger posed to them by the incursion of humans into their habitat.

It was not the venomous snakes, nor the wild crocodiles or deadly snakes that would claim Steve Irwin. He died in the most Shakespearean death, a pierce through the heart from an innocuous sting ray, an animal which has only claimed seventeen lives in recorded history.

We'll all miss you Steve.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

This is sad indeed. He was very entertaining and I even got to see him when he visited the Niabi Zoo here in Coal Valley. He was very unorthodox. What many people don't realize is that when he had his baby in there with the crocodile, he knew what he was doing and it was completely safe. He's had so much experience that he could predict the crocodiles every move. But a sting ray through the heart, that's tragic. But he died doing what he loved. So for just that reason alone, he should be celebrated.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

It hurts to lose anybody who knows what they're doing and does their best to teach what they know to others. Steve Irwin might've been nuts to some (I don't think you could pay me enough to get that close to a crocodile without some inch-thick Lexan separating the two of us), but at least he went out doing what he loved to do and he went quick. That's about all you can ask for. He will be missed.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

By crikey, it brings a tear to my eye. A few weeks ago my teenage daughter and I pulled out one of her kid games (hey, she was sick) and played the Crocodile Hunter Outback Chase game. It was like "Go Fish" but every time you didn't have the card the person asked for you said "by crikey" in your best Australian accent. We laughed and laughed... My sympathy goes to his family, young children... that's the worst.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

Now who's gonna catch Reggie the alligator? :(

(I never did hear if Steve Irwin actually made the attempt.)

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

To mildly disagree, the movie , although an obvious spoof, played on the irrational, socially LEARNED fear people have for snakes and perpetuates the anti-snake myth.

Otherwise it would be called "Fluffy White Bunnies on a Plane" and nobody would think they were in danger.

WC

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

I wonder how long before the video of Steve being killed ends up on You Tube?

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

I sincerely hope that it NEVER will. :(

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

Oh it will.
Youtube is poorly moderated. They care more about copyright laws than good taste. The comments are out of control.
My brother in law was brutally slurred using the n word repeatedly and that attitude is very prevelent there.
Everybody complains about how tightly moderated this page gets sometimes but Youtube is an example whan there is pratically none. Sometimes it's just not a fun place to go to.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

I heard the video IS NOT suppose to be released to the public, but somehow, it most likely will be released. I do not plan on viewing it, however.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

I heard it was up to his wife whether or not to release the footage.

When I was little, I used to love his show. I'll miss him =[.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

Unless they'd watched The Holy Grail...

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

I know these things:
- I know the impact that Steve Irwin had on a shy 5 year old girl who grew up with him on Animal Planet and is now a young woman who has a passion for biology.
- I know what a stingray tail does in defense and what its dagger-like barb looks like from hands on experience
I know that the barb pierced more that one heart and left a widow, two Irwin children and many more to mourn the loss of a life.

Society can be callous and hard, individuals do not have to be. :]

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

I heard that one of Steve Irwins last wishes was for the video to be shown to the public. Still, it is up to the family to decide wheather they want to release it or not. (link) It was on the drudge report page, so I am pretty sure it is not a spoof.

Goodbye Steve... the world is gonna miss ya!

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

Now, this may be the un-popular opinion, but I feel the need for it to be said. I feel no sorrow for his passing, it was his own fault (whether it be of fluke to a typically harmless animal or not, you can't say you havn't thought he would die from this eventually). He handle animals that are incredibly dangerous for a living, a highly risky job for a reason. Half of the reason that people watched the show was the amazment that somehow he wasn't hurt (or hoping to see him get hurt).
The vast majority of people would not be reacting this way if Steve-O or Johnny Knoxville died in one of their stunts, but it's pretty much the same. Both involve highly risky, life threatening, feats for television.
This man had a wife, and two children, why he continued such a horribly risky professional is beyond me. Beyond that, remember when he took his infant into a croc pen in the Sydney Zoo with him!
He had it coming eventually...

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

I did wonder what Steve did to agitate the Ray.
I mean the guy got a Bearded Dragon to bite him! Do you know how hard it is to that?

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

Stingrays attack when they feel threatened. If he was swimming over the top of it then the stingray may have whipped his tale up and hit his heart. Or it may have been the he was just under the stingray when it whipped its tail to move. I know the video that the local news is airing of a stingray whipping its tail to gain more speed looks like a powerful enough blow to puncture most anything.

The news just reported that the family is considering airing the footage and said that he "reportedly" pulled the barb out of his chest after he was stung. What truth there is to that statement I don't know, because his partner stated that he most likely died instantly and felt no pain.

I take my tv news with a grain of salt.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

Couple thoughts on this:

On Star trek the klingons make a big deal out of dying in battle, dying with honor - Im no warrior, but if I have a choice of trying something and making a mistake, or sitting home and watching someone else do stuff on TV, I would rather take the risk, even if I lose my life in the process.

I would rather die all at once doing something I love to do, even if it is risky, than to sit and die a little bit at a time, wasting my life doing nothing.

In the end your life will be over, one way or another. Then the only question will be 'what did you do with the time you had?'

as for Steve doing dangerous things... I dont know about all that. He knew what he was doing. Remember Tesla, sitting in his Faraday cage, with 1MV arcs flashing all around it like lightning? He knew what he was doing.

I think the proof that Steve knew what he was doing is the fact that he was not killed by a snake or a crocodile, he was killed by what marine biologists are calling a freak accident. If he had been trying to get a 30 foot great white shark to take a fish from his hand, without a cage, that would be different.

I have known a few people who died while they were "out-there", doing stuff they loved. I know many more people who have died from cancer, traffic accidents, and a couple people who took their own lives out of despair.

It is considered the epitome of bad taste to show videos or photos of a human being losing their life. I hope there is a documentary of his last days, but I dont need to watch him die.

I watched him live. There are lessons here. "Steve was an idiot" is not one of them. He had a passion for nature, and for life, he grabbed hold of it with both hands, and looked it square in the eye.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

I agreed with you to some extent until the Jonnyt Knoxville comparison. I thought that lacked a basis in fact and was out of line.

Irwin was extremely passionate about animals and conservation, that is where the croc hunter thing came from, Capturing wild crocidiles and moving them to safer areas. Eventually as you know this branched into the tv show. If you can find me evidence that shows that the Jackass guys put out that show to further any reasonable cause then I would be glad to withdraw my statement. The excerpt below is a little about what Irwin was doing other than making tv shows read below.

As testimony to their commitment to conservation and the environment, Steve and Terri have purchased over 60,000 acres of wildlife-sensitive land and are working towards the rehabilitation and breeding of some of the world's most endangered animals. At Australia Zoo, they have established a breeding program to help such endangered species as the southern cassowary, koala, giant land tortoise, Fijian crested iguana and Komodo dragon, to name just a few.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

He died doing what he loved.


Some people exist for 85 years.
Steve lived for 44.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

When I opened up the Red Eye this morning I was starteled by the large bold letters "Dear on Tape" and even more starteled by the caption in smaller (yet still bold) letters underneath it "Irwin's final moments caught on camera; would you watch?"
At first I was drawn away thinking "who would want to watch this" but then got sucked into reading it because I didn't want to pay attention to my teacher. The article (which isn't online at the moment, I will check tomorrow to post the link when it is up) goes on to talk about how he wanted it shown to people. It states that "the only remote justification for publicizing this would be accident prevention" you know what I agree. If this were to be shown it should be for accident prevention. I know at least I was taught at Sea World when I was little that stingrays are generally harmless and I think that some people still go diving with that theory.
The article also brings up the "Grizzly Man" death tape and how that is not shown anywhere becuase it is just to disturbing.
I am going to school for television and all I can say at the end of this all is that if I had a TV station this wouldn't be shown. I don't know why but it just wouldn't.

Re: Steve Irwin...
 

its kinda like the 911 videos. They show the planes hitting the buildings all the time (but you cant see the individual people in the plane)

its very rare that they show footage of the people who jumped from the upper floors, they might show one person jumping (hundreds jumped that day)

and they never show them hitting the ground.

I think everyone who knew of Steve now knows that he died in his chosen line of work. Taking risks has potential results that are both positive and negative. Everyone should know that.

But we dont need to see Steve's last moments to understand that he was, in fact, killed.