Steve Irwin, natural selection at work

[jdm61]

I have been around stingrays quite a bit..........how the hell do you piss one off enough that it stabs you in the heart? I am officially puzzled.

[89911]

CAIRNS, Australia - Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the �gCrocodile Hunter,�h 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 �gOcean�fs Deadliest�h when he swam too close to one of the animals, which have a poisonous bard on their tails, his friend and colleague John Stainton said.

�gHe came on top of the stingray and the stingray�fs barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart,�h said Stainton, who was on board Irwin�fs boat at the time.

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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 �gCrikey!�h in his television program �gCrocodile Hunter.�h 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�fs �gThe Crocodile Hunters: Collision Course�h and developed the wildlife park that his parents opened, Australia Zoo, into a major tourist attraction.

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

'A huge loss to Australia'
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 �gshocked and distressed at Steve Irwin�fs sudden, untimely and freakish death.�h

�gIt�fs a huge loss to Australia,�h Howard told reporters. �gHe was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. He brought joy and entertainment and excitement to millions of people.�h

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.

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

Irwin�fs 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.

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

�gIt was extraordinarily bad luck. It�fs not easy to get spined by a stingray and to be killed by one is very rare,�h Collin said.

News of Irwin�fs 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.

�gSteve, from all God�fs creatures, thank you. Rest in peace,�h was written on a card with a bouquet of native flowers.

�gWe�fre all very shocked. I don�ft know what the zoo will do without him. He�fs done so much for us, the environment and it�fs a big loss,�h said Paula Kelly, a local resident and volunteer at the zoo, after dropping off a wreath at the gate.

Stainton said Irwin�fs 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�fs Australia Zoo; they were married six months later. Sometimes referred to as the �gCrocodile Huntress,�h she costarred on her husband�fs television show and in his 2002 movie.

[einreb]

Originally posted by dd74
I'm reading "Life of Pi," .... The novel hinges on the importance of territory, mutual respect and instinct between animals in an unknown world.

No it doesn't. I suspect you thought that Bruce Willis wasn't actually dead. I see dead Orangutans.

PWND!

[Nathans_Dad]

Sorry, but the title of this thread is amazingly insensitive. It isn't even true to the facts.

If Irwin was killed putting his head inside the mouth of a crocodile or something like that, I would say that was a stupid way to die. The guy got a little too close to a stingray while swimming above it and was stung. Happens all the time. His amazing misfortune was that the barb happened to penetrate his heart and killed him.

How many people said that Dale Earnhardt dying on the track was "Natural Selection at Work"?? What about Payne Stewart or JFK Jr. dying in an airplane?

[Speedo959]

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
Sorry, but the title of this thread is amazingly insensitive. It isn't even true to the facts.

No ****! I agree

[svandamme]

Originally posted by lisa_spyder

He was a '110%er'...he gave everything his all and probably crammed more into his 44 years than most could dream of.

He was unique - maybe that is the problem?

yeah , i like his show

it's sad for his familly , but he went with his boots on, there are worse ways then that... like rotting away with something that takes months/years

[azasadny]

He treated dangerous animals like they were props to be used for his amusement. What an idiot, no different than the loser who was eaten by the wild bears who he thoght were his "friends".... I reserve my sympathy for those who are killed or injured through no fault of their own...

[Speedo959]

Only 3 people have been killed by Stingrays in Australian history, 17 worldwide.
I think the record speaks for itself. It was a freak accident.
Now if he had been eaten by a Croc then you would have an argument.

[9elf]

I'll miss his enthusiasm.

So will many others, especially kids.

[svandamme]

Originally posted by azasadny
He treated dangerous animals like they were props to be used for his amusement.

not his amusement, OURs... it was his job to entertain and educate , he just had his own special style, that doesn't make him an idiot

[BlueSkyJaunte]

Originally posted by Nathans_Dad
How many people said that Dale Earnhardt dying on the track was "Natural Selection at Work"?? What about Payne Stewart or JFK Jr. dying in an airplane?

Wonderful examples! Eearnhardt drove like an @$$ and was wearing his restraints incorrectly (a fact he was repeatedly warned about by the manufacturer), and JFK Jr. died flying an airplane he wasn't qualified to handle in conditions he wasn't rated for.

[450knotOffice]

Has it occurred to any of you who are so quick to judge that what Steve Irwin was doing when he'd catch these animals and then present them to the cameras was trying to show the world the beauty of every one of those living creatures up close? He simply was comfortable enough around all of these animals to be able to see them, catch them and then be able to keep them calm enough to be able to give us a little lesson about them while showing us what they looked like close up and in their natural environment. He was always very gentle with all of them and when he was done with his little presentations he'd let them go. You could see that he really loved being around all of these animals and was simply not afraid of them.

It was certainly tragic but as others have said, he died doing what he loved which is certainly better than slowly fading away over time, only to spend our last moments on this earth in some clinical, dreary hospital room.

[Dave Nordhoff]

My 7 year old daughter loves The Croc Hunter. I still have not told her of the sad news. He lived a fantastic life. Can one of you that think he is an idiot help me out with how to break the news to her?
Dave

[speeder]

I want to die in the clinch of a wild beaver.

[pbs911]

Those dang soldiers who are killed / maimed in Iraq. They really had it coming. . . voluntary enlisting to go into a war we really shouldn't be involved with. After all they knew it was a dangerous / reckless situation. Is that also natural selection, or just people who believe in what their doing?

Steve Irwin will be missed. I personally believe is is likely to have done more for animal awareness than anyone since the Mutual of Omaha programs.

[asphaltgambler]

Ok ........So NOW who am I going to be for this Halloween?

[Sonic dB]

Wikipedia is amazing. They already have an update on Irwin's death + have it crossreferenced when you look up "stingray".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Irwin

Shortly after 11:00am local time on 4 September 2006, Irwin was fatally pierced in the chest by a stingray barb while diving in Queensland's Batt Reef, which is part of the Great Barrier Reef. The events were caught on camera and the footage is now in the possession of Queensland Police.[24] Irwin was in the area filming his own documentary, to be called The Ocean's Deadliest, but weather had stalled filming. Irwin decided to take the opportunity to film some shallow water shots for a segment in the television program his daughter Bindi was hosting,[25] 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.

After reviewing the footage of the incident and speaking to the cameraman who recorded it, marine documentary filmmaker and fisherman Ben Cropp speculated that the stingray "felt threatened because Steve was alongside and there was the cameraman ahead..."[24] In such a case, the animal responds by automatically flexing the serrated barb on its tail, which is up to 30 centimeters (roughly 12 inches) in length, upward. In this case, the motion struck Irwin's chest and pierced his heart.[24] Crewmembers aboard his boat called emergency services in the nearest city of 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.[26]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingray

[SlowToady]

Originally posted by pbs911
Those dang soldiers who are killed / maimed in Iraq. They really had it coming. . . voluntary enlisting to go into a war we really shouldn't be involved with. After all they knew it was a dangerous / reckless situation. Is that also natural selection, or just people who believe in what their doing?

Nice tug at the heart strings. You're exactly right, though. They knew there was a war going on, and they wanted to be a part of it. Even if they joined to get college paid for, they still knew full well that there is always a chance of war and of getting killed. It's a risk they knew and assumed.

I knew two kids from High School who enlisted in the US Marine Corps along with 3 of their other buddies (whom I also knew). Why? They wanted to fight for their country. And so they did, and so two of them lost their lives doing it in Iraq. A third (the one I knew best) took an AK round to the chest (he lived). A kid I just met at UK was in Iraq with the 7th Rangers and took a shotgun blast to the chest in Iraq.

Now on one hand I feel sorry for their loss and their families, but on the other, it was their choice.

How does that relate to Irwin? He knew the risks of playing with *wild* animals, and did it anyway. He assumed the risk of possible death by playing with animals that weren't meant to be played with. Irwin skirted death on numerous occassions, and while he may have died in a freak accident, (I think) his luck just plain ran out. Just like Dale. Or my friends in Iraq.

Irwin had a good run, but it had to close out sometime.

As other posters mentioned though, at least he died doing something he really loved doing, no matter how foolish it may seem to the rest of us. We should all be so fortunate.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by Sonic dB
SNIP

Irwin was in the area filming his own documentary, to be called The Ocean's Deadliest

SNIP

Predictable outcome, I'd say.

It often takes over-the-top people to make a difference. Irwin probably got hundreds of thousands of kids interested in zoology.

I have no criticism of how he lived or died. I'm glad he did some good while he was among us.

EDIT: one other comment. This 'died doing what he loved' thing irks me. When a guy burns to death in a race car, is having his flesh burned off "what he loved?" When a guy convulses and suffocates from a neurotoxin, is that "what he loves?" I think this phrase really applies best when death is instantaneous and not immediately anticipated.

In '87, I was snorkeling alone on the Great Barrier Reef when I encountered a lone sand tiger at about 3 meters out. Had the shark turned and attacked me instead of swimming past, I can assure you my last thoughts would not have been "oh well, this is what I love doing..."

[dd74]

Originally posted by einreb
No it doesn't. I suspect you thought that Bruce Willis wasn't actually dead. I see dead Orangutans.

PWND!

Ummm...maybe you need to reread the book.
...and not give away what little you know of the story if you did read the book.

Bruce Willis?