Stingray Kills 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin

[tbonetrexler]

Associated Press Writer

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 "Ocean's Deadliest" when he swam too close to one of the animals, which have a poisonous barb on their tails, his friend and colleague John Stainton said.

"He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said Stainton, who was on board Irwin's boat at the time.

Crew members aboard the boat, Croc One, called emergency services in the nearest city, Cairns, and administered CPR as they rushed the boat to nearby Low Isle to meet a rescue helicopter. Medical staff pronounced Irwin dead when they arrived a short time later, Stainton said.

Irwin was famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchword "Crikey!" in his television program "Crocodile Hunter." First broadcast in Australia in 1992, the program was picked up by the Discovery network, catapulting Irwin to international celebrity.

He rode his image into a feature film, 2002's "The Crocodile Hunters: Collision Course" and developed the wildlife park that his parents opened, Australia Zoo, into a major tourist attraction.

"The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest dads on the planet," Stainton told reporters in Cairns. "He died doing what he loved best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. He would have said, 'Crocs Rule!'"

Prime Minister John Howard, who hand-picked Irwin to attend a gala barbecue to honor President Bush when he visited in 2003, said he was "shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death."

"It's a huge loss to Australia," Howard told reporters. "He was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. He brought joy and entertainment and excitement to millions of people."

Irwin, who made a trademark of hovering dangerously close to untethered crocodiles and leaping on their backs, spoke in rapid-fire bursts with a thick Australian accent and was almost never seen without his uniform of khaki shorts and shirt and heavy boots.

Wild animal expert Jack Hanna, who frequently appears on TV with his subjects, offered praise for Irwin.

"Steve was one of these guys, we thought of him as invincible," Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo and Aquarium, told ABC's "Good Morning America" Monday.

"The guy was incredible. His knowledge was incredible," Hanna said. "Some people that are doing this stuff are actors and that type of thing, but Steve was truly a zoologist, so to speak, a person who knew what he was doing. Yes, he did things a lot of people wouldn't do. I think he knew what he was doing."

Irwin's ebullience was infectious and Australian officials sought him out for photo opportunities and to promote Australia internationally.

His public image was dented, however, in 2004 when he caused an uproar by holding his infant son in one arm while feeding large crocodiles inside a zoo pen. Irwin claimed at the time there was no danger to the child, and authorities declined to charge Irwin with violating safety regulations.

Later that year, he was accused of getting too close to penguins, a seal and humpback whales in Antarctica while making a documentary. Irwin denied any wrongdoing, and an Australian Environment Department investigation recommended no action be taken against him.

Stingrays have a serrated, toxin-loaded barb, or spine, on the top of their tail. The barb, which can be up to 10 inches long, flexes if a ray is frightened. Stings usually occur to people when they step on or swim too close to a ray and can be excruciatingly painful but are rarely fatal, said University of Queensland marine neuroscientist Shaun Collin.

Collin said he suspected Irwin died because the barb pierced under his ribcage and directly into his heart.

"It was extraordinarily bad luck. It's not easy to get spined by a stingray and to be killed by one is very rare," Collin said.

News of Irwin's death spread quickly, and tributes flowed from all quarters of society.

At Australia Zoo at Beerwah, south Queensland, floral tributes were dropped at the entrance, where a huge fake crocodile gapes. Drivers honked their horns as they passed.

"Steve, from all God's creatures, thank you. Rest in peace," was written on a card with a bouquet of native flowers.

"We're all very shocked. I don't know what the zoo will do without him. He's done so much for us, the environment and it's a big loss," said Paula Kelly, a local resident and volunteer at the zoo, after dropping off a wreath at the gate.

Stainton said Irwin's American-born wife Terri, from Eugene, Ore., had been informed of his death, and had told their daughter Bindi Sue, 8, and son Bob, who will turn 3 in December.

The couple met when she went on vacation in Australia in 1991 and visited Irwin's Australia Zoo; they were married six months later. Sometimes referred to as the "Crocodile Huntress," she costarred on her husband's television show and in his 2002 movie.

http://www.ajc.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/TV/Obit_Irwin.html

[Firefighter1219]

"Crikey!" I bet that hurt.

[MaddogDFD5]

its was bound to happen sooner or later, playing with those types of animals geeezzzz... i guess its kind of like play with fire you will get burned.....

[DaSharkie]

No offense to this guy, but if you mess with deadly or dangerous animals and then get bit, what do you expect? You must expect the worst to happen. If it doesn't, then great - but you must be prepared for it to happen.

Sad loss though. He did a lot of work for education, animals, and the environment.

Oh yeah, I bet it hurt too - just a little bit though. ;)

[LuckyThirteen]

Read this on Yahoo last night. At least the bloke died doing what he loved best.

[mcfd45]

i kinda liked watching him mess with the animals. but like said before if you F@#& with an animal it will bite back. sorry to see him go.
J

[firenresq77]

Crikey, that one got me, mate!

[EFD840]

It's ironic.

All the shows where he messed with crocs, snakes, sharks, and all other manner of beasts that can kill you without breaking a sweat and dies from a freak accident with a ray.

[Weruj1]

I agree with the other posters .............nice guy but teeters on a power DUH !!

[mcaldwell]

Not totally surprising.

Next to go has got to be that German guy who wrestles the venomous snakes and anacondas just to get a good picture. :eek:

[Dickey]

"Ain't that a big crock, aye?"

Sucks for his kids and his wife. But....he did die doing what he loved. I thought it would happen sooner or later, the odds just were not with him.

[RFRDxplorer]

No offense to this guy, but if you mess with deadly or dangerous animals and then get bit, what do you expect? You must expect the worst to happen. If it doesn't, then great - but you must be prepared for it to happen.

Sad loss though. He did a lot of work for education, animals, and the environment.

Oh yeah, I bet it hurt too - just a little bit though. ;)


Took the works out of my mouth sharkie.

[DrParasite]

No offense to this guy, but if you mess with deadly or dangerous animals and then get bit, what do you expect? You must expect the worst to happen. If it doesn't, then great - but you must be prepared for it to happen.He was a known expert in his field, and I am guessing he took the neccessary precautions. and it seems bad luck led to his untimely death.

firefighters rush into burning buildings, where an IDLH atmosphere exists and both civilians and firefighters have died in the past. how would any of you feel if a LODD was treated as you are treating his death?

[doughesson]

We go into burning buildings and sometimes firefighters die doing it.I just hope that some news"journalist"doesn't get a copy of the tape and show it despite the pleas of his family.
It's bad enough his daughter was there.She doesn't need to see her father dying.

One of my favorite morning shows,John Boy and Billy's Big Show,would parody him at least once a week"Travelling around the world to find exotic animals ...and annoy the crap out of them".
I would bet that they end that one quickly.
I might not have agreed with his politics but he did enjoy what he was doing and lived his beliefs.Can't argue with that.

[baileydonk]

Rest in peace, Crocodile Hunter.

I always enjoyed him.

His "risk-taking behavior" really seems to have nothing to do with his death at all - it sounds like his death was a freak accident involving a relatively benign creature.

The South Park team liked to spoof him - their Croc-Hunter-Type character would grab an animal and say something like "Hey, kids, watch while I stick my thumb up his @$$ - that'll really piss 'im off!"

I hope the spoofs do continue - they are a show of public affection, really.

[LuckyThirteen]

"This is my wife and with her legs in the air like that, she's in the PRIME mating positiong." *motions viewer closer with hand* "I'm gonna grab 'er by the tail."

[BFDNJFF]

http://img244.imageshack.us/img244/7439/irwin2wideweb470x3520dg8.jpg

RIP STEVE ! :(

[Steamer]

What ended up being one of the funniest shows I ever saw him do, was when he was in the American Southwest looking for rattlesnakes. He found a female, and he said, "Look at 'er; ain't she beut?!" It was about that time he got this look of "oh ****" on his face and whispered, "Crikey, mate...don't move a bloody muscle."

The camera panned down, and in his excitement he had squatted over an entire nest of smaller rattlesnakes. They didn't appear to be real pleased about him being there. I'm sure from his perspective they were each several feet long.

Steve Irwin was no different from many of us, taking calculated risks based on his training and experience. While it seems like it would take someone that was somewhat short of a full load of bricks to jump on an alligator or agitate a cobra, he probably felt the same about a lot of the things that each of us assume as simply part of our jobs.

He was a true leader in the zoological sciences community, and I doubt any of us can fully appreciate just how much he will be missed.

[KEEPBACK200FEET]

I used to watch his show ALL the time. I'm really gonna miss him going "Crikey, when I was 12, my dad used to tie a rope around my waist and make me wade through the swamp as crocodile bait."

[RyanEMVFD]

They still got Paul Hogan. Rest in Peace.

[LadyCapn]

"This is my wife and with her legs in the air like that, she's in the PRIME mating positiong." *motions viewer closer with hand* "I'm gonna grab 'er by the tail."


That is just TOO funny!! :D

RIP, and happy hunting.

[NJFFSA16]

By DENNIS PASSA
Associated Press Writer
BEERWAH, Australia (AP) - Steve Irwin pulled a poisonous
stingray barb from his chest in his dying moments, his longtime
manager said Tuesday, after watching videotape of the attack that
killed the popular "Crocodile Hunter."
Irwin's body was returned home to Beerwah, a hamlet in
southeastern Queensland on the fringe of the Outback where he lived
with his wife and two young children. Irwin turned a modest reptile
park opened by his parents into Australia Zoo, a wildlife reserve
that has become an international tourist attraction.
Terri Irwin, in her first public comment since her husband's
death, thanked the staff of his zoo in a brief message late
Tuesday, said spokesman Michael Hornby.
"She was very choked up. It was a very frail comment," Hornby
told The Associated Press Wednesday. "But she wanted to say to the
staff how grateful she was for their support and how much it meant
to her." Details weren't made public.
Irwin's father, Bob, thanked his son's fans Wednesday for their
messages of support and said his son died doing what he loved.
"There were many things that could have gone wrong," Irwin
said in a news conference that was broadcast live across Australia.
"Steve knew the risks (of what) he was doing, and he wouldn't have
wanted it any other way."
Hundreds placed bouquets and handwritten notes at an ad hoc
shrine to the popular 44-year-old naturalist outside the park, and
other tributes flowed in from Canberra to Hollywood.
The dramatic details of Irwin's death Monday as he was shooting
a program on the Great Barrier Reef were disclosed by John
Stainton, his manager and close friend. He said he had viewed the
videotape showing the TV star pulling the poisonous stingray barb
from his chest.
"It shows that Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail
came up, and spiked him here (in the chest), and he pulled it out,
and the next minute he's gone," Stainton told reporters in Cairns,
the nearest city to tiny Batt Reef off Australia's far northeast
coast where the accident happened.
Stainton said the video was "shocking."
"It's a very hard thing to watch, because you are actually
witnessing somebody die, and it's terrible," he said.
The tape was not released to the public. Queensland state police
took possession of a copy for a coroner's investigation.
Stainton said the tape should be destroyed when the coroner is
finished.
"I would never want that tape shown. I mean, it should be
destroyed," he said on CNN's "Larry King Live."
Stainton estimated Irwin's distance from the stingray when the
attack happened at about three feet.
State police Superintendent Michael Keating said Irwin was
"interacting" with the stingray when it flicked its tail and
speared his chest with the bone-hard serrated spine it bore - the
normally placid animal's main defense mechanism.
"There is no evidence Mr. Irwin was threatening or intimidating
the stingray," Keating said, addressing speculation that a man who
became famous by leaping on crocodiles and snatching up snakes must
have been too close for the animal's comfort.
Irwin's boundless energy and daredevil antics around deadly
beasts made him a household name as the Discovery Channel's "The
Crocodile Hunter," with a reported audience of more than 200
million.
Australia's leaders interrupted Parliament's normal business to
eulogize Irwin.
"He was a genuine, one-off, remarkable Australian individual
and I am distressed at his death," Prime Minister John Howard
said.
His opposition counterpart, Kim Beazley, said: "He was not only
a great Aussie bloke, he was determined to instill his passion for
the environment and its inhabitants in everybody he met."
Friend and Oscar-winner Russell Crowe said from New York: "He
was and remains the ultimate wildlife warrior."
The U.S. Embassy issued a statement saying Irwin was an
unofficial Australian ambassador to the United States.
"With his humor and irrepressible sense of adventure, he
represented those things our citizens find most appealing about
Australia and its wonderful way of life," it said.
Hundreds of people journeyed Tuesday to Australia Zoo to
remember Irwin.
Tia Koivisto drove her daughter Ella, 3, for more than an hour
from the Queensland capital of Brisbane to lay a floral tribute.
"I was quite moved by what happened, I felt I had to come up
and pay my respects," Koivisto said.
People thronged around the entrance of the park, near a
billboard featuring Irwin holding a crocodile in his arms and his
catch phrase, "Crikey!"
"We're all devastated," said Gail Gipp, the park's hospital
wildlife manager. "It is very surreal at the moment. We're
determined to carry on what he would have wanted."
There was no condolence book, but mourners lined up to sign
messages onto khaki work shirts - another Irwin trademark - that
were draped outside the gate. Someone placed flowers in the mouth
of a wooden crocodile nearby.
"Mate, you made the world a better place," read one poster
left at the gate. "Steve, our hero, our legend, our wildlife
warrior," read another.
"I thought you were immortal. How I wish that was true," said
a third.
Zoo spokesman Peter Lang said Irwin's wife, Terri, of Eugene,
Ore., daughter Bindi, 8, and son Bob, 2, arrived Monday night from
the island state of Tasmania, where they had been vacationing when
Irwin was killed.
The prime minister offered a state funeral for Irwin if it was
what the family wished. Bob Irwin said his son would not have
wanted such a fuss, but he would leave the decision up to Terri.
"We'll never replace Steve," said Hornby, head of the Wildlife
Warriors, one of the Irwin family's conservation charities. "He
was part of the family, like he came out of the television set and
into your living room. That's why there's been such an outpouring
of emotion here and around the world. Everybody thought they knew
him."
Meanwhile, Animal Planet said it had given no thought to taking
"The Crocodile Hunter" off the air, said Maureen Smith, the
network's executive vice president and general manager.
"Steve's whole mission in life was to educate and inspire the
public to take care of animals in the world that we share," she
said. "To continue is the best way to get that message out."
Irwin was filming a new series, "Ocean's Deadliest Predators,"
for Animal Planet. Smith said she wasn't aware whether enough
filming had been done for anything to make it on the air.

APTV 09-06-06 0044EDT

[NJFFSA16]

By JOCELYN NOVECK
AP National Writer
NEW YORK (AP) - "If I'm going to die," the late "Crocodile
Hunter" Steve Irwin said in a 2002 interview, "at least I want it
filmed."
He spoke with his usual humor, and clearly had no idea what
would happen four years later. But the fact is, a tape does exist
of Irwin's fatal encounter with a stingray while filming a TV show.
And so the question arises: In the age of instant Web videos, might
it get out? And in the broader sense, is making footage of a death
public ever justified?
For its part, Discovery Communications, the network where Irwin
became a star, said there was absolutely no truth to rumors that
the footage, now in possession of police in Queensland, Australia,
might be released.
But that doesn't mean there aren't concerns that someone could
attempt to get their hands on it and publicize it for lurid means -
or just to show they had it. That, said media analyst Martin
Kaplan, would be tantamount to a snuff film.
"The only remote justification for publicizing this would be
accident prevention," said Kaplan, of the Annenberg School for
Communication at the University of Southern California. "But that
argument is a stretch." Experts say deaths from a stingray
encounter are exceedingly rare.
Irwin died Monday at age 44 after being stabbed in the chest by
the stingray's poisonous spine while filming on the Great Barrier
Reef.
He was hugely popular in the United States, becoming a star as
the "Crocodile Hunter" on Discovery's Animal Planet channel. In
an interview with Associated Press Radio in 2002, he discussed his
passion for grappling with crocodiles: "That's what my hand and my
brains are designed to do," he said with his trademark enthusiasm.
"That's what I have to give to the world."
In the same interview, he noted: "If I'm going to die, at least
I want it filmed ... If we blew a million dollars worth of cameras,
at least we could have gone to MGM and gone, 'Hey, look at this
tape."'
Irwin's manager and close friend, John Stainton, had the painful
experience of watching the videotape where Irwin pulls the stingray
barb from his chest. He called it "shocking."
"It's a very hard thing to watch, because you are actually
witnessing somebody die, and it's terrible," he told reporters.
Stainton later said on CNN's "Larry King Live" that he would
never want the tape shown publicly.
"I mean, it should be destroyed," Stainton told King on
Tuesday evening. Noting the tape now is evidence in a coroner's
inquest, Stainton said, "When that is finally released, it will
never see the light of day. Ever. Ever. I actually saw it, but I
don't want to see it again."
The fact that a tape exists recalls the death of Timothy
Treadwell, a bear enthusiast who lived among them for a dozen years
in Alaska before being fatally mauled in 2003. A video camera with
the lens cap on captured the audio of that attack. It is in
possession of a friend and has never emerged in public - though in
his acclaimed documentary "Grizzly Man," director Werner Herzog
was seen listening to it with headphones on.
Samuel G. Freedman, who teaches a media ethics class at the
Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, says the issue
is "whether there is any compelling public interest" in the
release of something so shocking as footage of a death. Here, he
says, there clearly isn't.
"The lay person is not going into the water trying to have
encounters with stingrays," Freedman said. "It would be purely
titillation and necrophilia if anyone were to show this."
There are dramatically different cases, Freedman believes, where
there is a compelling public interest in having the option - as in
the voluntary click of a mouse - to see the reality of a grisly
death. To learn the harsh lessons of war, for example, or to
witness the brutality of the beheadings by Islamic militants in
Iraq - videos that were posted on Web sites used by the militants.
(Others have argued that the existence of the militant videos is
apalling.)
But those are very particular cases. In general, the
explanations fall flat, says Kaplan of the Annenberg School, as
when the Italian magazine that recently published a photo of
Princess Diana getting oxygen moments after her fatal car crash
called it "tender" and "touching."
In an era where almost everything ends up making it to the Web,
is it inevitable that such a tape as that of Irwin's death would
emerge?
"Only in the sense that there's a race for the bottom in our
culture," Kaplan says. "This will take substantial vigilance on
the part of the family."

APTV 09-05-06 2241EDT

[FF2BKE]

In the words of Red Foreman, "Dumba$$."

He bugged anyway. Hopefully, his offspring is a little sharper.... Carlos Mencia and Bill Engvall were right.

:rolleyes:

[BFDNJFF]

In the words of Red Foreman, "Dumba$$."

He bugged anyway. Hopefully, his offspring is a little sharper.... Carlos Mencia and Bill Engvall were right.

:rolleyes:


So I guess in your mind if a FF or a cop dies they are dumba$$es ?
Thats what your saying essentialy. That if you have a dangerous job then you deserve to die . :rolleyes:

Guess I am a double dumba$$ then being a LEO and a V.F.F. huh.

[FF2BKE]

No that's not it. I see the need in rescuing people. Unfortunately, FF's and cops die everyday doing that.

However, I don't see the need in provoking dangerous animals on TV for MONEY! There has been plenty of coverage on TV about dangerous animals that didn't require anybody poking and prodding them to get the point across that they were dangerous. I see a cougar on TV take down a full grown deer and that's all it takes for me to understand that critter demands respect.

I don't need Irwin to tell me that a rattler is dangerous! My Dad taught me that and he didn't hold me up over any crocodiles either.

[BFDNJFF]

I guess education is not an important thing to you. :rolleyes:

[ChiefReason]

Sometimes, our inner most thoughts should remain just that!

[FFDerek]

No that's not it. I see the need in rescuing people. Unfortunately, FF's and cops die everyday doing that.

However, I don't see the need in provoking dangerous animals on TV for MONEY! There has been plenty of coverage on TV about dangerous animals that didn't require anybody poking and prodding them to get the point across that they were dangerous. I see a cougar on TV take down a full grown deer and that's all it takes for me to understand that critter demands respect.

I don't need Irwin to tell me that a rattler is dangerous! My Dad taught me that and he didn't hold me up over any crocodiles either.
Open your mind. This guy has taught kids of all ages for many years more than anyone has ever taught them about this subject. He has done more for wildlife than anyone else in the world, EVER. All the charities along with his park.

These crocs weren't just crocs for money, he actually cared about them. There are tons of videos out there of him crying when one of his favorite crocs died (Mary).

Not to mention his personalty, he loved doing his job and was always so happy about it everywhere he went.

[cfdeng3]

There were doctors on TV last night saying that if he had left the barb in and had it surgically removed, he may have lived. They said that removing it was like removing a plug and allowed him to bleed out. Human instinct has us doing some funny things and not all good.

[SPFDRum]

Funny thing these forums, especially some of the replies regarding Mr. Irwin. The one that really stand out are: "he got what he deserves", stupid is what stupid does", etc. The band wagon calling him an idiot.
Well for your information, running into a burning building, as judged by most sane people, is just as stupid. But everybody likes to have the title; "bravest" or "hero". Wear their t-shirts to the bar, have huge FF stickers on their car.. but be damned, one of us gets killed and it's a tragedy, condolances and sorrow pour in from around the web.
I would be willing to bet that this man was as well trained and skilled in his job working with dangerous animals as any of those firefighters killed in the line of duty. Am I calling any of them stupid? Hell no. Is it fair to make such a statement, absolutely. Especially when you add in all those killed in apperatus accidents, getting run over by their apperatus, falling of the darn thing, killing themselves racing to the station in their POV, or worse riding a bike to the station.
Pretty tough to call the kettle black.

[SSTONER]

In the words of Red Foreman, "Dumba$$."

He bugged anyway. Hopefully, his offspring is a little sharper.... Carlos Mencia and Bill Engvall were right.

:rolleyes:

Well, its refreshing to see America putting so much in to what Carlos Mencia has to say.

[NJFFSA16]

By DENNIS PASSA
Associated Press Writer
BEERWAH, Australia (AP) - "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin,
killed in a stingray attack this week, knew the risks involved in
his work and often discussed the possibility he might die doing it,
his father said Wednesday.
The 44-year-old star was being filmed for a new TV program as he
swam with a stingray on the Great Barrier Reef Monday when it
lashed out with its tail, plunging a poisonous barb into his chest.
He died within minutes.
In the first public comments by Irwin's family since the
tragedy, the elder Irwin, who started the wildlife park that his
son turned into a major tourist attraction, said Wednesday both
were aware of the inherent dangers of their occupation.
"Both of us over the years have had some very close shaves and
we both approached it the same way, we made jokes about it," he
said. "That's not to say we were careless. But we treated it as
part of the job. Nothing to worry about really."
Thousands of fans have flocked to Irwin's Australia Zoo wildlife
park in Queensland state, creating a shrine of flowers, candles and
written tributes. Stuffed animals poke out from between flags of
Australia, the United States and England, and some visitors signed
and left khaki shirts similar to those worn by Irwin in lieu of a
condolences book.
Bob Irwin, 66, thanked fans for their messages of support and
reassured them his son had died doing what he loved.
A private funeral will be held at an undisclosed location within
seven days, and a public memorial service will be held within two
weeks, Bob Irwin said Thursday.
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie had offered a state funeral,
and Prime Minister John Howard said that would be appropriate,
calling Irwin a great ambassador for Australia. But Bob Irwin said
Wednesday it wouldn't be what Steve wanted.
"He's an ordinary guy, and he wants to be remembered as an
ordinary bloke," he said.
Michael Hornby, the head of one of Irwin's wildlife charities,
Wildlife Warriors, said the star's wife, Terri Irwin, was thinking
about having a small, private ceremony at an Outback location and
approving a separate large event at a stadium in the state capital,
Brisbane.
Hornby also urged people to be careful in sending donations to
Irwin's charities as a tribute, saying two or three bogus Web sites
had been set up attempting to divert some of the money.
Separately, Irwin's manager and close friend John Stainton said
the videotape showing him being fatally stabbed should never be
publicly aired.
"It should be destroyed," Stainton told CNN's "Larry King
Live." He said he has seen the footage and it shows Irwin pulling
the barb from his chest in his last moments.
The tape is in the possession of police as evidence for the
coroner.
The Discovery Channel, which produced and aired Irwin's programs
to a reported global audience of more than 200 million, said it
will not show the footage.
Police have said there are no suspicious circumstances in
Irwin's death, and no decision has been made about whether a
coroner will hold a formal inquest or simply accept the police
findings. No formal cause of death has been announced.
Terri Irwin briefly addressed park staff late Tuesday over a
public address system.
"She was very choked up. It was a very frail comment," Hornby
told The Associated Press Wednesday. "But she wanted toa month with his son's
family on Cape York in tropical northern Australia doing crocodile
research.
"Steve was probably the best I had seen him in many years, in
his own personal attitude," he said. "He was peaceful. He was not
under stress. And he was doing something that he really loved
doing. I won't ever forget that three or four weeks."

APTV 09-07-06 0220EDT

[PattyV]

However, I don't see the need in provoking dangerous animals on TV for MONEY!
He died a relatively poor man. All of his money went into buying land for conservation and other such projects. His personal yacht was seldom used by his family because it spent most of its time being lent out for free to universities and marine biologists.
He was a bit of a tosser but he did some good stuff. What upset me about him is that he stopped catching the giant crocs that he used to. In his early documentaries he used to catch some of the largest crocs in the world with just himself, his dad, a few zookeepers, a potato sack and a bit of rope. Back when he actually was the crocodile hunter.

[doughesson]

There were doctors on TV last night saying that if he had left the barb in and had it surgically removed, he may have lived. They said that removing it was like removing a plug and allowed him to bleed out. Human instinct has us doing some funny things and not all good.

Not just instinct but movies and TV as well.Ever see "The Outlaw Josey Wales" where he's advising"If you get hit,slap hot iron on it to stop the bleeding"?
Or one of the opening scenes to "Terminator 2",where the biker that got stuck with his own knife wants it pulled out?
If those were useful first aid techniques,wouldn't we be learning them in EMT classes?
I don't want to start on what I've seen in some TV shows,because I know those have to dramatize things but there's some folks that get the idea that everything you see in them is accurately portrayed.

[baileydonk]

I don't care how many times I've been taught to leave an impaled object in... If there was some big thing sticking out of my chest, I'm sure it would hurt like hell, and I'm sure I'd want more than anything to pull the damned thing out. Not a time when I'd be thinking at my clearest, I'm sure. That's when you need people with you who will think for you, grab you and restrain you for your own good, and get you to the hospital where the thing can be surgically removed.

(I don't mean that I'm blaming whoever was with Mr. Irwin)

[KnightnPBIArmor]

In the words of Red Foreman, "Dumba$$."

He bugged anyway. Hopefully, his offspring is a little sharper.... Carlos Mencia and Bill Engvall were right.

:rolleyes:

Your level of compassion is overwhelming...do you display the same amount of tact on calls when a fatality is involved? :rolleyes:

[FlyingKiwi]

And are not happy.

[BFDNJFF]

I couldn't kill this one but damn, I nailed the thread about Steve Irwin being Killed.

I killed a killer thread. Is that a double homicide?

:D LMAO It's AAAAAAAAAALIVE ! Just for you FlyingKiwi :p

[FlyingKiwi]

BailyDonk

Look at your SIGNATURE.

Then have a look at what this thread is about. HALLLLOOOOOOOO.

See anything here?

That's when you need people with you who will think for you, grab you and restrain you for your own good, and get you to the hospital where the thing can be surgically removed

That is EXACTLY what happened with my first wife. :D

[baileydonk]

"That's when you need people with you who will think for you, grab you and restrain you for your own good, and get you to the hospital where the thing can be surgically removed"

That is EXACTLY what happened with my first wife. :D


Whoo! That's a good one!

[FTMPTB15]

Anyone else catch the Memorial Service on the Animal Planet tonight? It is truly amazing how one man, with one great passion, can influence the ENTIRE world. Hopefully people will be able to see what he was able to do during his short life with his warm personality, excitement, and enthusiasm. I wish more people would devote their entire lives to their passions, just like Steve. What an outstanding individual. Rest In Peace mate.

[FlyingKiwi]

Oh I hav to agreed wid dat. :p

See here for Greedpeaces take on the issue.

Greeny pieces (http://newsbiscuit.com/article/save-the-whale-lobby-furious-with-beached-whales)

[tbonetrexler]

Oh I hav to agreed wid dat. :p

See here for Greedpeaces take on the issue.

Greeny pieces (http://newsbiscuit.com/article/save-the-whale-lobby-furious-with-beached-whales)

A little off topic, but is that news site real? or just for fun?

[ewelk33]

RIP Steve Irwin and may god be with your family. What a tragic loss for us all.

The amout of disrespect shown in this thread makes me sick. Shame on those of you who choose to make light of Steves death.

[FlyingKiwi]

tbone.

you need a holiday Brother. :p

[NJFFSA16]

Lighthouse Point man stabbed in chest by stingray
LIGHTHOUSE POINT, Fla. (AP) - A man was in critical condition
Thursday morning, a day after a stingray jumped onto his boat and
stabbed him in the chest, leaving a foot-long barb stuck in him,
authorities said.
James Bertakis, 81, of Lighthouse Point, was boating with his
grown granddaughter and her friend Wednesday afternoon when the
rare attack occurred. The woman were able to steer the boat back to
Bertakis' home where they called authorities.
"It was a freak accident," said Lighthouse Point acting fire
Chief David Donzella. "It's very odd that the thing jumped out of
the water and stung him. We still can't believe it."
Bertakis was conscious when paramedics arrived. Surgeons were
able to remove some of the barb, but were not able to locate the
rest and feared it may have migrated. Bertakis suffered a closed
chest wound, collapsed lung and may have to undergo open-heart
surgery, rescue officials said.
The roughly 5-foot wide, 30 pound stingray died on the boat,
firefighters said. They kept it in a plastic bag and on ice until
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Officers picked it up,
Sullivan said.
Ellen Pikitch, a professor of marine biology and fisheries at
the University of Miami, who has been studying stingrays for
decades, said the fish are generally docile creatures.
"Something like this is really, really extraordinarily rare,"
she said. "I've never heard any reports of a stingray attacking a
person. Even when they are under duress, they don't usually
attack."
"Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, 44, died Sept. 4 when a
stingray's barb pierced his chest while he filmed a TV show on the
Great Barrier Reef.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[BFDNJFF]

:eek: Stingrays are getting even with us ! Its another conspiracy !

[ehs7554]

Crikey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ChiefReason]

In both recent cases, the rays went right for the heart.
As if they knew.
Hmmmmmm.
CR

[SSTONER]

In both recent cases, the rays went right for the heart.
As if they knew.
Hmmmmmm.
CR

Ya know....if I were that Chris guy that was posting in the "Did you respond to the WTC" thread...I would say those same stingrays probably planted the demo devices in the towers too. :eek:

[PattyV]

Well I think it might be retalliation for all the stingrays who have had their barbs cut off them after being caught and released. Ever since I can remember whenever someone catches a stingray they cut off their barbs and release them back into the lake/broadwater/entrance.
There was some press about how stingrays were all the sudden being found with their stingers cut off after the attack on steve irwin but the reporters realised they were only making fools of themeselves. :rolleyes: