Stingray kills 'Crocodile Hunter'

[Ban Hammer 13,337]

now i presume there will be a different saying....mess with the stingray, get the barb?

[Tobester 0]

We are talking about WILD animals here. It's the arrogance of mankind that makes us believe we can be in control of EVERYTHING. We can't. Wildlife is dangerous and unpredictable. Steve Irwin knew this, yet he chose to put his life and that of others in danger to make sensationalist television. It's sad that he's gone, leaving a wife and 2 kids behind, but it's not completely unexpected.

(ready to be flamed)

[TracyTN 237]

I know I'm the 'instigator of the post', but this thread is going nowhere fast. I withdraw my previous question.

There are going to be views on BOTH sides of the fence - that he was a careful biologist or that he was a reckless TV host. Chances are your mind won't be changed one iota from a thread on a freaking message board.

Let's at least agree that his death is sad and will effect a lot of people - most especially his wife and two children - and leave it at that.

[Fuzzness 2]

His sensationalism was done that way to educate people about wildlife and wildlife conservation. For this he would have, and ultimately did, give his life.

[Identity 0]

His death wasn't an accident. The stingray defended itself. It should teach us all to leave animals alone in their habitat. Stingrays are just like any creature, ie generally peaceful, but when threatened will lash out.

I'm just curious (as the instigator of the post would be) -- what part of this incident strikes you as a non accident?

He went into the Lion's Den, the viper's nest, and he also recklessly ventured into the home of the Stingray. This was no accident.

What is a tragedy are the Iraqi civilians torn apart by American weapons of war. I mourn for them. I mourn for the Lebanese civilians sheltering from laser-guided high-precision Israeli bombs.

Steve Irwin made a choice; the poor Iraqi children have no choice.

[CarolineM 0]

Must every single thread be turned into something political?? Come on.

i work in a dangerous neighborhood where there is a murder at LEAST once a day...if I died in crossfire or something...would you call it a NON-accident...I work here because I love the kids and I care about the community...

Steve was the same way. He did what he loved and it sometimes took him to dangerous places....that's the risk you take for something you love...

[ChasUK 0]

I did a little research and here are some quotes.

Prime Minister John Howard, once lauded by Irwin as the world's greatest leader, said: "I am quite shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death. It's a huge loss to Australia."

Steve Irwin killed in freak accident

Irwin's friend of 20 years, Ferre De Deyne said Irwin had been struck by the stingray while filming. "The stingray just happened to be swimming around and out of the blue whacked his tail at him," he said.

05 September 2006

By DAVID WILLIAMS, LOUSIA HEARN and AAP

Sydney Morning Herald

Irwin 'extremely unlucky'

04/09/2006 16:09 - (SA)

Sydney - Steve Irwin fell victim to extraordinarily bad luck to be killed on Monday by a stingray. At least 35 species of stingrays swim in the tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef where Irwin died after being stabbed in the heart in what experts said was a freak accident.

Experts agreed on Monday that Irwin's death - he was struck directly in the heart, witnesses said - was extremely unlucky.

"It was extraordinarily bad luck," said Shaun Collin, a University of Queensland marine neuroscientist.

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1993239,00.html

“The sharp spine can penetrate and tear flesh and the venom injected can be quite painful,” said Hans Walters, a stingray expert. “But what happened was a real freak accident, it's very rare for a stingray to use that spine against people. You almost have to step on them or pick them up.”

http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_247183646.html

The news service said marine experts called the death a freak accident - normally rays will deploy a sharp spine in their tails when they are startled and a venom coating will result in a painful sting for humans.

"If you look at Steve, it was a fluke accident," Sauvage said. "Don't get me wrong, sting rays can hurt you, but if it had hit him at any other place he would have survived."

By JENNIFER AVILLA, The Enterprise

09/05/2006

In Cairns, the investigation into the crocodile hunter's death is still underway but police are adamant he did nothing to provoke the stingray that speared his heart. And they say they have the videotape evidence to back them up.

Queensland police spokesman MIKE KEATING: At the time of his death Mr Irwin was interacting with a sting ray on the Great Barrier Reef, there is no evidence that Mr Irwin was intimidating or threatening the stingray. My advice is that he was observing the stingray. Police said it appeared Irwin was just watching the ray.

Friend and manager JOHN STAINTON: I was always aware of that we were probably heading into a darker territory with this show. But he was always in control and he was always, he was just invincible. And he always said to me, if I can touch an animal, I'll make people touch their hearts. And that was his philosophy, it was his belief, that by interacting with animals he was actually giving people something to love there, that they could feel that the snake or the crocodile was a human... you know, a personality and an individual, that he... that they weren't ugly monsters. And he did. The evidence we had over the years that, you know, people turning their beliefs around from wanting to kill snakes and saying that the only good snake's a dead snakes, to kill crocodiles, cull crocodiles, trophy hunt crocodiles, he played a very important role in changing people's thinking in the world.

The World Today - Tuesday, 5 September , 2006 12:10:00

Reporter: Lisa Millar

As far as I can tell just a cursory glance at what is being said shows that this was a freak accident and nothing more. He was not dicing with death. He was not being a sensationalist. When he was in what we laypeople would call dangerous situations he was totally in control because he was an expert and had knowledge of what he was dealing with. All the experts agree, he should not have been in any mortal danger. Worst case he should have had a nasty tear in some flesh, some nausea that would have lasted aproximately 48 hours, and treated with simple antibiotics.

Please people, unless you have qualifications which can outway what the experts are saying, and the Australian Prime Minister and police are saying, (bearing in mind that they would not issue statements without being advised by experts), then please don't tell me that Steve died because he irresponsibly put himself in danger with a deadly stingray.

I choose to believe that the experts know what they are talking about and refuse to accept any layperson's personal opinion as to what they think is a dangerous situation.

i work in a dangerous neighborhood where there is a murder at LEAST once a day...if I died in crossfire or something...would you call it a NON-accident...I work here because I love the kids and I care about the community...

Steve was the same way. He did what he loved and it sometimes took him to dangerous places....that's the risk you take for something you love...

Good point. Even simpler to say crossing the road is one of the most dangerous things to do yet we all do it. If someone were to swerve their car and hit us for whatever reason, is it our fault for being in the road if we are hit?

[irishgirl73 0]

His death wasn't an accident. The stingray defended itself. It should teach us all to leave animals alone in their habitat. Stingrays are just like any creature, ie generally peaceful, but when threatened will lash out.

I'm just curious (as the instigator of the post would be) -- what part of this incident strikes you as a non accident?

He went into the Lion's Den, the viper's nest, and he also recklessly ventured into the home of the Stingray. This was no accident.

What is a tragedy are the Iraqi civilians torn apart by American weapons of war. I mourn for them. I mourn for the Lebanese civilians sheltering from laser-guided high-precision Israeli bombs.

Steve Irwin made a choice; the poor Iraqi children have no choice.

Christ-he was swimming, he got a freaking spike through his heart. From what I can tell he wasn't provoking the stingray-it was a freak accident-he was a good man(maybe very fanatical) but he did a lot for animals & seemed to be a great husband & father.

why does there always have to be at least one person on here who has to be the smart-as$??

this thread isn't about Iraqi children

[Yodrak 7]

ChasUK,

I think you've made an excellent summary of the situation, with one significant exception. Obviously Mr. Irwin was not "totally in control". Because he was an expert he undoubtedly know that he was in a dangerous situation and was exercising appropriate caution to minimize the risk to himself, but risk cannot be entirely eliminated. Sometimes things happen that go against the norm, against the odds. This was one of those unfortunate times.

Yodrak

....

As far as I can tell just a cursory glance at what is being said shows that this was a freak accident and nothing more. He was not dicing with death. He was not being a sensationalist. When he was in what we laypeople would call dangerous situations he was totally in control because he was an expert and had knowledge of what he was dealing with. All the experts agree, he should not have been in any mortal danger. Worst case he should have had a nasty tear in some flesh, some nausea that would have lasted aproximately 48 hours, and treated with simple antibiotics.

Please people, unless you have qualifications which can outway what the experts are saying, and the Australian Prime Minister and police are saying, (bearing in mind that they would not issue statements without being advised by experts), then please don't tell me that Steve died because he irresponsibly put himself in danger with a deadly stingray.

I choose to believe that the experts know what they are talking about and refuse to accept any layperson's personal opinion as to what they think is a dangerous situation.

Edited September 5, 2006 by Yodrak

[Aussielad 37]

and he died just where i lived!<....and they did the post mortum in my city!....wow...what a martyr!

[I'm Gone 60]

My wife and I were watching an interview he did on Larry King last night and I never knew that he was a big time tree hugger. He had an Orangoutang on Larry King and said he apologized to the animal rights people, since they feel bring monkey/apes on TV is exploiting them.

After watching the Larry King show I think a lot of the media coverage is due to his being on the PC side of animals and I also have a hunch that he was a vegetarian.

Seemed like a nice guy, but not someone I would want shaping public policy.

[ChasUK 0]

ChasUK,

I think you've made an excellent summary of the situation, with one significant exception. Obviously Mr. Irwin was not "totally in control". Because he was an expert he undoubtedly know that he was in a dangerous situation and was exercising appropriate caution to minimize the risk to himself, but risk cannot be entirely eliminated. Sometimes things happen that go against the norm, against the odds. This was one of those unfortunate times.

Yodrak

I hear ya Yodrak, and you actually confirm my point. He was as safe as he knew he could be but an un-anticipated accident happened, ... against the odds.

It turns out that apparantly the probable cause of the tail to be raised by the ray was the fact that the camera man was on the other side of the ray, in front of it and it felt cornered. If Steve had been on his own, holding the camera himself the ray would have simply swum away.

[TracyTN 237]

He went into the Lion's Den, the viper's nest, and he also recklessly ventured into the home of the Stingray. This was no accident.

What is a tragedy are the Iraqi civilians torn apart by American weapons of war. I mourn for them. I mourn for the Lebanese civilians sheltering from laser-guided high-precision Israeli bombs.

Steve Irwin made a choice; the poor Iraqi children have no choice.

I'm sorry, but this 'response' has made me laugh aloud. *wipes tears from eyes*

Man I needed that today!!

At any rate, I can only imagine the grief his family is going through.

[Elizabethnhenry 0]

So sad for his kids who probably idolized him... what a freak accident.

Jen

One of the New York papers said that for kids, this like how adults felt when JFK and Princess Diana died. I know my niece was crying a lot...she and my brother loved his show and would watch it together.

I'll miss him.

Edited September 5, 2006 by Elizabethnhenry

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

... how adults felt when JFK and Princess Diana died.

I dunno about you, but I was an adult when Princess Diana died and I didn't give a sh!t.