Steve 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin has died.

[KatieR]

The man famously known to all the world as the Crocodile Hunter has died in Cairns after being killed by the barb of a sting ray.

He was filming a documentary off the coast when the incident occured. The barb of the sting ray pierced his chest very close to his heart and he died from Cardiac arrest due to the poison.

I myself, being Australian, didn't always like how he tried to portray himself. He is known for his very hands on approach to wildlife, and it makes me wonder what he was doing to cause such an unusual reaction in a normally placid animal.

There are very mixed feelings about Steve Irwin, but it is still a very tragic thing to happen, especially as it was Father's Day in Australia yesterday and he has two very young children.

[Beowulf]

Yeah I saw that this morning. It's a shame , he was a bigger than life character who did a lot to promote Australia and his fascination for animals was contagious.

That said, I do think he took an awful lot of needless risks on his TV show to give him a sort of notoriety. He sometimes took chances that any sane person wouldn't but he was doing what he loved and you could tell he was genuinely in love with his subject. I guess when you take chances all the time sooner or later your luck will run out.

Truely Unique people like him are few and far between.

[bigdjiver]

Steve had an immediate charisma, but he was one person I would change channels on instantly. I do not believe in paying anyone to risk their lives unecessarily however indirectly or minutely. Alas, I feel he has encouraged more to imitate than to desist.

[Tiggerbabe]

I think I've seen almost every documentary, film and tv show he's been in as my 11 year old is a HUGE fan of his, and had hoped to meet him one day. He was a great character and will be sadly missed.

My heart goes out to his family.

[Barry Shnikov]

I believe he has done good things for the cause of wild life and the environment.

My reservation is that he may have provoked a sort of 'bread and circuses' vicious spiral on wildlife presenters. Somebody on TV this morning suggested he had done more for those causes than David Attenborough.

Really? After Life on Earth and all the subsequent series that DA did, Irwin's relatively recent and much less informative TV series (and I do not mean to disparage him) has done more?

If that's true, then the next guy is going to have to grab lions by the tail and whirl them around his head if he's going to get noticed.

Already I've seen some South African guy playing with snakes on TV the way Irwin did with crocs and stuff.

Irwin may turn out to have set not a good precedent.

[Will]

This is such sad news.....

He was a guy who was not afraid to be a true Aussie, and he made wildlife programs far more watchable and entertaining that anyone before him.

RIP

Will

[KatieR]

This is such sad news.....

He was a guy who was not afraid to be a true Aussie, and he made wildlife programs far more watchable and entertaining that anyone before him.

RIP

Will

So are you saying that those of us that don't wrestle crocodiles and keep deadly snakes for pets aren't true Aussies??

I think you will find that a lot of Australians will disagree!

Sure his shows might have been more 'watchable' as you say, but you still need to have some respect for animals.

[El Salsero Gringo]

Really? After Life on Earth and all the subsequent series that DA did, Irwin's relatively recent and much less informative TV series (and I do not mean to disparage him) has done more?

Don't forget Attenborough's Zoo Quest in the 50's.

[Stuart M]

My reservation is that he may have provoked a sort of 'bread and circuses' vicious spiral on wildlife presenters. Somebody on TV this morning suggested he had done more for those causes than David Attenborough.

Really? After Life on Earth and all the subsequent series that DA did, Irwin's relatively recent and much less informative TV series (and I do not mean to disparage him) has done more?

If that's true, then the next guy is going to have to grab lions by the tail and whirl them around his head if he's going to get noticed.

Already I've seen some South African guy playing with snakes on TV the way Irwin did with crocs and stuff.

Irwin may turn out to have set not a good precedent.

Personally I think the "Michaela Strachan" approach to attracting the viewer to wildlife programming was much better. Well it worked for me.

The other alternative is the Johnny Morris and Animal Magic school, but I have to say, finding out that none of the animals talked on my first visit to Edinburgh Zoo was a bit of a shock.

I did like Irwin, but then his carrying-his-baby-around-while-prodding-a-croc incident in 2004 put me off.

[Beowulf]

well as sad as this is I've just had my first sick joke email..

a doctored picture from the bbc news .. interviewing the marionette leader of stingray who denys all involvement that's what P*sses me off.. people who hear news like this and immediately joke about it.

[jive_me]

I only briefly dipped into Steve Irwin's show The Crocodile Hunter. And yes I did enjoy it. Even for it's educational value. That's just my opinion. But in the end it's incredibly sad that he's lost his life...very sad indeed

xXx

[Daisy Chain]

I used to watch Steve's programmes through my fingers but eventually had to give up as they gave me nightmares.

RIP Steve, you foolish man.

Daisy

(A Traumatised Little Flower)

[Lee]

I swam with Sting rays in Florida a few years back, they are amazing creatures, fortunately these ones has been clipped.

RIP Steve

Lee

[Barry Shnikov]

well as sad as this is I've just had my first sick joke email..

a doctored picture from the bbc news .. interviewing the marionette leader of stingray who denys all involvement that's what P*sses me off.. people who hear news like this and immediately joke about it.

Made me smile.

"Who the hell's that guy swimming about in a bush outfit and trekking boots, Phones?"

"W-w-well, Troy, he's an Australian T-t-t-tV presenter..."

[Beowulf]

Made me smile.

yeah a guy dies in a terrible accident leaving his wife and young kids.. what a punchline !

[Gus]

yeah a guy dies in a terrible accident leaving his wife and young kids.. what a punchline !

Hmmm ... sad indeed ... but while people seem to be upset at the passing of an on-screen entertainer, who feels real sorrow for the 14 RAF guys who perished while serving Queen and Country? Odd how people feel sorrow.

[Lynn]

Hmmm ... sad indeed ... but while people seem to be upset at the passing of an on-screen entertainer, who feels real sorrow for the 14 RAF guys who perished while serving Queen and Country? Odd how people feel sorrow.

Sorry but I really don't see what that has to do with the posts above. There are always yet greater tragedies and this isn't about comparison. Or are you saying that because those RAF men died that makes it OK to poke fun at someone else's death?

[Beowulf]

Hmmm ... sad indeed ... but while people seem to be upset at the passing of an on-screen entertainer, who feels real sorrow for the 14 RAF guys who perished while serving Queen and Country? Odd how people feel sorrow.

yeah I agree.. that was a tragic accident too . But my point is, both equally tragic. However which will get the most air time on the news? out with my control but a celebrity death and someone who died doing their countries duty .. the powers that be will choose to give more air time to the celeb.

And somehow I don't think "amusing" images posted via email about the RAF guys untimely demise would be any better received.

Does being a celebrity somehow mean that you're entire life has to be open to public scorn and your death open to public ridicule?

Anyone dying is tragic.. be they RAF men, TV presenters or some poor kid hit by a car on a crossing. unfortunately we all know what the News vultures would chose to broadcast more.. the bigger the celeb.. the bigger the spectacle.. the bigger the fuss they can make and the more viewing figures (and ultimately $$$) they get.

[timbp]

Sorry but I really don't see what that has to do with the posts above. There are always yet greater tragedies and this isn't about comparison. Or are you saying that because those RAF men died that makes it OK to poke fun at someone else's death?

That's not the point at all.
I read your post and had to go search the Internet to find out what you were talking about -- I had not heard about those 14 men.
But I heard about Steve Irwin about 15 min after the first news report appeared on the web.

And of all the people who died today, we're only talking about Steve Irwin (unless I missed the thread about Colin Thiele).

It's part of human nature to joke about serious matters.

Is it really so bad to joke about the one death (among many) that has made international news?
(And why hasn't Colin Thiele's death made international news?)

[Tiggerbabe]

you still need to have some respect for animals.

He came across, to me, as a man who had an incredible respect for animals, he got closer to most of them than I would have liked to, but in doing so managed to bring knowledge, of the animals concerned, to many more people.