Steve Irwin, Dead at 44

[nascarfan38124]

yea but he fit that austrailian stereotype (that he mainly created) perfectly

[DAZMCFC]

i think crikey means oh shit, he was an excellent guy though

[macwin]

oh and so you know the irwin family is tyring to show the tape on tv (because it was steave's last wishes) and it is the police that wont give it to them

That's awesome. Can't wait to watch it.

Apparantly the reason he died is because he pulled the stingray barb out - which has lots of counter barbs going the opposite way. If he knew what he was doing he'd still be alive. I thought he was ok, although I think people's reactions to his death is way over the top and I have been quite disturbed by some of the comments people have made about him. One American said that he thought Steve Irwin typicified what was so great about Australians. I've lived in Australia my entire life and I've never met anybody who was remotely like Steve Irwin or spoke like him or even used the word "crikey".

Maybe its a bit different down Tassie way but i meet ppl like Steve everyday (and they do use the word 'crikey' every so often)....plenty of Aussies up here mate

[gavin_sidhu]

oh and so you know the irwin family is tyring to show the tape on tv (because it was steave's last wishes) and it is the police that wont give it to them

That's awesome. Can't wait to watch it.

Apparantly the reason he died is because he pulled the stingray barb out - which has lots of counter barbs going the opposite way. If he knew what he was doing he'd still be alive. I thought he was ok, although I think people's reactions to his death is way over the top and I have been quite disturbed by some of the comments people have made about him. One American said that he thought Steve Irwin typicified what was so great about Australians. I've lived in Australia my entire life and I've never met anybody who was remotely like Steve Irwin or spoke like him or even used the word "crikey".

Maybe its a bit different down Tassie way but i meet ppl like Steve everyday (and they do use the word 'crikey' every so often)....plenty of Aussies up here mate

I think its a country thing. Ive lived in Sydney and Brisbane and thats not the way people speak.

[2dimes]

I visited Sydney they're just like americans but more arrogant. You can hardly hear an accent at all there.

[spring1]

Really? Didn't know that...I was in Freemantle and Hobart...found the people there to be decidedly less arrogant than those back in the States!

[2dimes]

We were in Melbourne and area and some of the best people I've met anywhere in the world.

The general thing is Sydney is "I'm better than you and I hate tourists, even though they are a major cause for the economic strength of my city they can all go home."

[Pedronicus]

I'm glad that hes dead.

He was an accident waiting to happen, and I'm glad that only a stingray killed him (Only 2 deaths a year are reported from Stingrays per year on average, so to be killed by a stingray is embarrassing)

When I used to watch his programmes, I couldn't believe that this idiot thought that the least stress for an animal was to get loads of people to jump on a crocodile and wrestle with it, whilst a camera crew and a group of cheering local onlookers watched and filmed.

Animals in other zoos are shot with a tranquilizer dart and moved / treated whilst asleep.

He was a fame obsesed tosser, who used dangerous animals as a foil.

When David Attenborough dies - that will be a sad day. Natural history television programmes as they should be made.

[macwin]

I'm glad that hes dead.

He was an accident waiting to happen, and I'm glad that only a stingray killed him (Only 2 deaths a year are reported from Stingrays per year on average, so to be killed by a stingray is embarrassing)

When I used to watch his programmes, I couldn't believe that this idiot thought that the least stress for an animal was to get loads of people to jump on a crocodile and wrestle with it, whilst a camera crew and a group of cheering local onlookers watched and filmed.

Animals in other zoos are shot with a tranquilizer dart and moved / treated whilst asleep.

He was a fame obsesed tosser, who used dangerous animals as a foil.

When David Attenborough dies - that will be a sad day. Natural history television programmes as they should be made.

When you die i will be glad that you are dead too.

Now go back and suckle on Germaine Greer's teat.

[Pedronicus]

When you die i will be glad that you are dead too.

Now go back and suckle on Germaine Greer's teat.

It's an opinion. I'm allowed an opinion aren't I?

And why have I got to latch onto that old crows nipple for? What's GG been saying?

[bluereaper]

Well i didn't write what everyone said but it is a sad thought of him dieing. Also the way he died has ironey in it. He can fight and capture live deadly animlas like aligators, snakes ect...but a defensless stingray kills him, i would of prefered him dieing by an aligator or something ferocious more suitable to him, not a weak animal. Sad sad thouhgt of him not being here anymore

[heavycola]

but a defensless stingray kills him

,

Think i see a little flaw in your policework there, Hal

[b-b5]

This is the real tragedy of the whole thing

Steve Irwin would turn in his grave

When I used to watch his programmes, I couldn't believe that this idiot thought that the least stress for an animal was to get loads of people to jump on a crocodile and wrestle with it, whilst a camera crew and a group of cheering local onlookers watched and filmed.

Whilst I somewhat agree your distaste for his sensationalist use of animals, I think it is more a function of the media today rather than the man himself.

You cannot argue that his underlying motives were a love and respect for animals, and he quite probably educated many more people about animals than he would have done if he had tried to be another Attenborough.

Seemed like a good bloke to go for a pint with in my opinion

[reverend_kyle]

This is the real tragedy of the whole thing

Steve Irwin would turn in his grave

I was just about to post that.

[macwin]

When you die i will be glad that you are dead too.

Now go back and suckle on Germaine Greer's teat.

It's an opinion. I'm allowed an opinion aren't I?

And why have I got to latch onto that old crows nipple for? What's GG been saying?

Yes upon reflection you are entitled to your opinion as much as the next person.....just that using the words "i am glad he is dead" seems a little harsh for the bloke.
It is not the sort of language that is going to enlighten and further the progress of mankind.....but i digress.
As for GG...i think it was printed in the Guardian in your country.....alot of similar opinions to your good self......caused a bit of a ruckus over here.
Having something in common with her would be enough for me to change my mind

[strike wolf]

oh and so you know the irwin family is tyring to show the tape on tv (because it was steave's last wishes) and it is the police that wont give it to them

That's awesome. Can't wait to watch it.

Apparantly the reason he died is because he pulled the stingray barb out - which has lots of counter barbs going the opposite way. If he knew what he was doing he'd still be alive. I thought he was ok, although I think people's reactions to his death is way over the top and I have been quite disturbed by some of the comments people have made about him. One American said that he thought Steve Irwin typicified what was so great about Australians. I've lived in Australia my entire life and I've never met anybody who was remotely like Steve Irwin or spoke like him or even used the word "crikey".

I'm sure he had his reasons for taking the barb out. Possibly worried about the poison though someone earlier did post a quote that the stingray's poison wasn't usually fatal. Oh and what about Crocidile Dundee? Didn't he use to say crikey?

[owheelj]

You are correct that sting ray poison isn't fatal. Presumably he just panicked because there was a big spike sticking out of his chest and pulled it out - which is in many ways understandable but doesn't change the fact that pulling it probably killed him.

Who knows what Crocodile Dundee said - he wasn't real.

[owheelj]

I visited Sydney they're just like americans but more arrogant. You can hardly hear an accent at all there.

lol, that's completely not my experience at all - some of the most generous people I know live in Sydney. I am sure there are arrogant and annoying people in every city and country in the world.

I'm glad that hes dead.

He was an accident waiting to happen, and I'm glad that only a stingray killed him (Only 2 deaths a year are reported from Stingrays per year on average, so to be killed by a stingray is embarrassing)

When I used to watch his programmes, I couldn't believe that this idiot thought that the least stress for an animal was to get loads of people to jump on a crocodile and wrestle with it, whilst a camera crew and a group of cheering local onlookers watched and filmed.

Animals in other zoos are shot with a tranquilizer dart and moved / treated whilst asleep.

He was a fame obsesed tosser, who used dangerous animals as a foil.

When David Attenborough dies - that will be a sad day. Natural history television programmes as they should be made.

I wasn't a fan of his either and I got in a huge amount of trouble on another forum for voicing this opinion although I was sad that he was dead - I just think he's way over rated and I strongly disliked his political views. There's no doubt he was passionate about the environment and did some good things for it, I also think he did some bad things for it and the majority of stuff he did was for attention and not for the good of the environment. I also think he expoited animals for his personal gain although he gave a lot back too.

I was one of the few people who also though Germaine Greers comments were awesome - although I didn't agree with what she said, I was happy to hear her put forward something interesting instead of the same boring rubbish everybody was saying and I think the strong personal attacks people spoke out against her really reflected their poor character a lot more than it had any impact on herself.

I find people's attachments to celebrities bizzare and socially counter productive so really I have no sympathy for all the fans of any celebrity who are insulted by comments about their dead hero or are significantly saddened by their death.

[Pedronicus]

Germaine Greer
Tuesday September 5, 2006
The Guardian

The world mourns. World-famous wildlife warrior Steve Irwin has died a hero, doing the thing he loved, filming a sequence for a new TV series. He was supposed to have been making a new documentary to have been called Ocean's Deadliest, but, when filming was held up by bad weather, he decided to "go off and shoot a few segments" for his eight-year-old daughter's upcoming TV series, "just stuff on the reef and little animals". His manager John Stainton "just said fine, anything that would keep him moving and keep his adrenaline going". Evidently it's Stainton's job to keep Irwin pumped larger than life, shouting "Crikey!" and punching the air.

Irwin was the real Crocodile Dundee, a great Australian, an ambassador for wildlife, a global phenomenon, a superhuman generator of merchandise, books, interactive video-games and action figures. The only creatures he couldn't dominate were parrots. A parrot once did its best to rip his nose off his face. Parrots are a lot smarter than crocodiles.

What seems to have happened on Batt Reef is that Irwin and a cameraman went off in a little dinghy to see what they could find. What they found were stingrays. You can just imagine Irwin yelling: "Just look at these beauties! Crikey! With those barbs a stingray can kill a horse!" (Yes, Steve, but a stingray doesn't want to kill a horse. It eats crustaceans, for God's sake.) All Australian children know about stingrays. We are now being told that only three people have ever been killed by Australian stingrays. One of them must have been the chap who bought it 60 years ago in Brighton Baths where my school used to go on swimming days. Port Philip Bay was famous for stingrays, which are fine as long as you can see them, but they do what most Dasyatidae do, which is bury themselves in the sand or mud with only their eyes sticking out. What you don't want to do with a stingray is stand on it. The lashing response of the tail is automatic; the barb is coated with a bacterial slime as deadly as rotten oyster toxin.

As a Melbourne boy, Irwin should have had a healthy respect for stingrays, which are actually commoner, and bigger, in southern waters than they are near Port Douglas, where he was killed. The film-makers maintain that the ray that took Irwin out was a "bull ray", or Dasyatis brevicaudata, but this is not usually found as far north as Port Douglas. Marine biologist Dr Meredith Peach has been quoted as saying, "It's really quite unusual for divers to be stung unless they are grappling with the animal and, knowing Steve Irwin, perhaps that may have been the case." Not much sympathy there then.

The only time Irwin ever seemed less than entirely lovable to his fans (as distinct from zoologists) was when he went into the Australia Zoo crocodile enclosure with his month-old baby son in one hand and a dead chicken in the other. For a second you didn't know which one he meant to feed to the crocodile. If the crocodile had been less depressed it might have made the decision for him. As the catatonic beast obediently downed its tiny snack, Irwin walked his baby on the grass, not something that paediatricians recommend for rubbery baby legs even when there isn't a stir-crazy carnivore a few feet away. The adoring world was momentarily appalled. They called it child abuse. The whole spectacle was revolting. The crocodile would rather have been anywhere else and the chicken had had a grim life too, but that's entertainment at Australia Zoo.

Irwin's response to the sudden outburst of criticism was bizarre. He believed that he had the crocodile under control. But he could have fallen over, suggested an interviewer. He admitted that was possible, but only if a meteor had hit the earth and caused an earthquake of 6.6 on the Richter scale. That sort of self-delusion is what it takes to be a "real Aussie larrikin".

What Irwin never seemed to understand was that animals need space. The one lesson any conservationist must labour to drive home is that habitat loss is the principal cause of species loss. There was no habitat, no matter how fragile or finely balanced, that Irwin hesitated to barge into, trumpeting his wonder and amazement to the skies. There was not an animal he was not prepared to manhandle. Every creature he brandished at the camera was in distress. Every snake badgered by Irwin was at a huge disadvantage, with only a single possible reaction to its terrifying situation, which was to strike. Easy enough to avoid, if you know what's coming. Even my cat knew that much. Those of us who live with snakes, as I do with no fewer than 12 front-fanged venomous snake species in my bit of Queensland rainforest, know that they will get out of our way if we leave them a choice. Some snakes are described as aggressive, but, if you're a snake, unprovoked aggression doesn't make sense. Snakes on a plane only want to get off. But Irwin was an entertainer, a 21st-century version of a lion-tamer, with crocodiles instead of lions.

In 2004, Irwin was accused of illegally encroaching on the space of penguins, seals and humpback whales in Antarctica, where he was filming a documentary called Ice Breaker. An investigation by the Australian Environmental Department resulted in no action being taken, which is not surprising seeing that John Howard, the prime minister, made sure that Irwin was one of the guests invited to a "gala barbecue" for George Bush a few months before. Howard is now Irwin's chief mourner, which is only fair, seeing that Irwin announced that Howard is the greatest leader the world has ever seen.

The animal world has finally taken its revenge on Irwin, but probably not before a whole generation of kids in shorts seven sizes too small has learned to shout in the ears of animals with hearing 10 times more acute than theirs, determined to become millionaire animal-loving zoo-owners in their turn.

[Pedronicus]

13 September 2006
The Mirror Newspaper
RAY RAGE
Aussies 'killing fish in revenge for Irwin'
By Mark Ellis, Foreign Editor

AUSTRALIANS are feared to be carrying out revenge attacks on stingrays after one killed Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin.

At least eight have been found dead and mutilated. Two had their tails hacked off at Deception Bay in Queensland and six more were found dead at Hervey Bay. Wayne Sumpton, of Queensland Fisheries Department, urged fans of Irwin - killed last week when a stingray's tail barb pierced his heart as he filmed off the Great Barrier Reef - not to attack the fish.

Michael Hornby, executive director of Irwin's Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, said he feared rays were being killed in retaliation. He added: "We just want to make it very clear that we will not accept and not stand for anyone who's taken a form of retribution.

"That's the last thing Steve would want. We are disgusted and disappointed that people would take this sort of action to hurt wildlife."

Good to see that all Steves conservation messages hit home with his fans - (Sigh)

[macwin]

13 September 2006
The Mirror Newspaper
RAY RAGE
Aussies 'killing fish in revenge for Irwin'
By Mark Ellis, Foreign Editor

AUSTRALIANS are feared to be carrying out revenge attacks on stingrays after one killed Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin.

At least eight have been found dead and mutilated. Two had their tails hacked off at Deception Bay in Queensland and six more were found dead at Hervey Bay. Wayne Sumpton, of Queensland Fisheries Department, urged fans of Irwin - killed last week when a stingray's tail barb pierced his heart as he filmed off the Great Barrier Reef - not to attack the fish.

Michael Hornby, executive director of Irwin's Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, said he feared rays were being killed in retaliation. He added: "We just want to make it very clear that we will not accept and not stand for anyone who's taken a form of retribution.

"That's the last thing Steve would want. We are disgusted and disappointed that people would take this sort of action to hurt wildlife."

Good to see that all Steves conservation messages hit home with his fans - (Sigh)

No worries Pedronicus you win.....no one ever killed a ray before Steve's death.

[vtmarik]

No worries Pedronicus you win.....no one ever killed a ray before Steve's death.

True, but they didn't kill bunches at one time. It's like the Shark Hunters who go out and stab a few Makos whenever some kid gets his leg bitten off.

Stingray Jihad, there's a great name for a band.

[2dimes]

I visited Sydney they're just like americans but more arrogant. You can hardly hear an accent at all there.

lol, that's completely not my experience at all - some of the most generous people I know live in Sydney. I am sure there are arrogant and annoying people in every city and country in the world.

Yeah my buddy there is pretty generous, he just hates tourists and americans and has a superiority complex. He's better than you and you don't need to ask he'll offer that opinion. I'm not saying he isn't a good guy. Also it's the funniest thing to hear him do an american accent.