OT: the Crocodile Hunter (Steve Irwin) is dead

[Black_Knyght]

Stingray kills 'Crocodile Hunter' (http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/04/australia.irwin/index.html)

[Combat Wombat]

World has lost a good man.

[dogscoff]

Yes, it is a shame, but given the way he interacted with wild animals (ie going around pulling their tails) it's no great surprise. Had to catch up with him somewhen.

[scJazz]

The world is a poorer place without him in it expressing a love for wildlife and sharing that expression.

[Randallw]

dogscoff said:
Yes, it is a shame, but given the way he interacted with wild animals (ie going around pulling their tails) it's no great surprise. Had to catch up with him somewhen.



The way all the news here put it is that he wasn't terrifying it or anything. Now if he was attacking a croc and it bit his head off that would be no surprise. The way we hear it was a freak accident. I don't know for sure but it was something like if he had stepped on it while wading through water. It doesn't seem to be poison but the tail barb stabbed him in the heart.

ps

Turns out he was just swimming. A stingray swum under him and then suddenly it just attacked him

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/2006/09/04/1157222051512.html

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

May he rest in peace http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

[dogscoff]

Oh, sorry. My understanding was that he had been fatally stung by something that never ever attacks humans unless provoked (ie by pulling its tail) but I guess I was wrong.

[Azselendor]

Odds are that the stingray didn't notice steve irwin or thought he was something else and then panicked and attacked steve irwin.

Steve Irwin isn't someone that goes around provoking animals, he's an expert in his field for his whole life. He died doing what he loved, I only feel sorry that his kids will grow up without him.

[Possum]

The article I read said that this time of year the tiger sharks are aggressive, so the rays get more suspicious and defensive.

OK, major loss to us, but look on the brighter side.

He died with his boots on (well, fins), and the sun in his eyes. He died young, doing something he loved. He died quickly, with no lingering agony or indignity. He died like a man.

Statistically, most of us will die old and useless, in a hospital, with a tube up our nose and a foley catheter strapped to our withered old tallywhacker.

Compared to that, he was lucky.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

I don't count dying with life still ahead of me 'lucky'.

[AgentZero]

Man, that just... sucks. There's no other word for it. I used to love watching his show on lazy Saturday afternoons.

[Artaud]

This is really sad news.

Rest in peace, Steve-O.

[Starhawk]

Wrong DOgscoff Steve-O knew what he was doing he never "provoked" an animal just to provoke it he would never terrify or injure an animal, he never picked animals up but not by anything that would cause it harm or pain.

He was an expert and he loved the animals and would never let them hurt and it is sad he died such a tragic death.

[Atrocities]

At least he died doing what he loved. The rest of us could only be so lucky. Man what a tragedy for the world loosing him.

[Randallw]

Here's a bit of news. I hear they were filming when it happened, so the police have been watching the footage showing what happened.

[geoschmo]

No offense intended but this "good day to die" talk is all a bit much don't you think? This is a tragedy plain and simple. The man died too young and left people behind that care about him. And expert or not he died because he was reckless and took chances. That was part of his shtick and the reason why people liked watching his shows, but let's not turn it into something noble. It's not like he was risking his neck to save lives or anything. He was doing it simply to make compelling television.

Lot's of "experts" die every day because they get complacent and make a mistake in a dangerous situation. How many people that watched any of his shows can honestly say at some point or another they didn't see him do something and think, "this dude's gonna get himself killed someday."

Sadly there is a reason that people like Marlin Perkins and Jacques Cousteau died as old men surrounded by their grandchildren and people like Steve Irwin and Timothy Treadwell didn't.

[Starhawk]

Geoschmo first off it was never as risky as you'd think if you actually watched the series you'd know that, he knew when NOT to get to close to an animal and did so most of the time, grabbing the snakes by the tail even wasn't as dangerous as you'd think, a lot of snakes are totally unable to go from a fully streight position to folding back on themselves for a strike, (they can curl up in a "ball" but they apparently can't fold their bodies properly to strike) even Irwin said this a few times when he grabbed a snake, you notice he also never continued to antagonize the animal, he'd show the viewer what it could do and let it on it's way, Not like this one idiot who kept harassing a poor cobra even after it spit in his eye and bit him, he went ot hospital got treated and came right back to harass it.

Anyway this also had nothing to do with reckless or careless it was a simple tragic fowl up that no one will get, and from what I've heard of the video basically no one even SAW the stingray until it had stabbed steve through the heart....even the Cameraman had no idea what was going on until later.

[dogscoff]

Geo, you got it exactly right.

[geoschmo]

I have seen his shows, although I admit I was not a regular viewer. It doesn't take being a regular viewer to see that what Irwin was doing was intentionally pushing the boundaries. He was saying in effect watch how close I can get to this animal and still get away without getting hurt.

I'm not saying he didn't take his work seriously and I'm not saying there wasn't some educational value in his shows. But a lot of it was voyueristic and sensationalistic. He sought out the most dangerous animals and tried to get as close to them as he could, cameras rolling. That's how he was marketed, and that's what his audience wanted to see. Of course since I wasn't a regular viewer I might have missed the episode where he spent the day swimming with the docile school of tuna.

I'm sure his people are going to do what they can to paint his demise as a fluke accident, one in a million, could have happened to anyone. Because doing so makes them feel better for helping him get in that situation and us feel better for watching.

It's also interesting to know that if I'm ever facing a venomous snake I can pull it's tail and maybe, just possibly it won't be able to bite me. But personally I'll stick to the tried and true method of walking away instead.

[Renegade 13]

I also agree. He was reckless and it was bound to catch up to him eventually. I'm not saying what happened wasn't tragic, merely inevitable.

[Intimidator]

I Don't believe he was reckless, I think he was smart enought to considder what could and what could NOT be done to an animal........... But you CAN NOT hug Crocodile's, kis snakes and take a bath with sharks and expect that it will work fine for the restr of your life....... so inevitable indeed..

[Atrocities]

By your standards, those of an in-experienced person, he was reckless, but to him, and most of the people who knew him both perfessionally as well as personally, considered him to be one of the best animal handlers on the planet. To you he was reckless because you are a professional animal handler like Steve was. Loosing him is a kin to loosing a world hero. He will be sorely missed.

[Hugh Manatee]

<i>I'm sure his people are going to do what they can to paint his demise as a fluke accident, one in a million, could have happened to anyone. Because doing so makes them feel better for helping him get in that situation and us feel better for watching.</i>


Actually from what I've seen on the news his death was exactly that. Stingrays are the most among the most docile critters in the sea(not unlike tuna), they have them in tanks at seaworld where you can pet them and feed them. It's not like he was jamming his finger up it's but when the stingray hit him, he was swimming along the floor of the sea and swam over one, it reacted as to swim away and it's spike got jammed in his chest right near his heart. These things have killed like 15 people over the last several years(I think in the recorded worldwide history of stingray attacks, it's double digits how many peopke get stung and die, he's number 15, most step on them, or like steve get hit if they are over them).

If he got his head bit off by a crock, yeah you'd be right, if a snake bit him 15 times in the face, you'd be right, but this is like getting bit by a poodle, getting a spilter, or eating a bad piece of lettuce, getting an infection/sick from it or getting hit in the chest by a baseball during a little league game and having your heart stop and dying that way.

[Atrocities]

His death falls squarely under the heading of "[censored] happens." http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif I just wish that it didn't have to happen. He will be sorely missed.

[Black_Knyght]

I agree with <font color="red">AT</font> here !!! Steve Irwin made the anmimal interaction he film appear entertaing and interesting, by adding a measure of danger to a jovial presentation. But never was he "reckless" or "unprofessional". He knew exactly what the limits were with the animals he dealt with, and was actually very wary of unusual behavior.

Getting stung by the Stingray wasn't actually much of an issue, as I understand it. WHERE he got stung was certainly more the issue. I've heard it said that same attack, striking a limb or different area, would've hurt like hell and been something to talk about in a later show. Getting hit in the heart is what made it a fatal accident.

[Black_Knyght]

'He lived with such passion' (http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/09/05/irwin.emails/index.html)



Irwin's last moments caught on videotape (http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/05/irwin.death/index.html)

[Strategia_In_Ultima]

geoschmo said:
But personally I'll stick to the tried and true method of walking away instead.



On a side note, one thing you should NOT do when facing a snake is walk away. Stand stock still, don't move a muscle, and they'll go away. IIRC, stamping on the ground may help too, but I'm not sure about that. If you stand still, the snake certainly won't perceive you as a threat (if there are snakes that see us as food, they're bound to be limited to oversized anacondas and those of the Hollywoodius genus) and they'll slither their merry way away. Walking away might prompt the snake to attack you, even though it was merely being cautiously threatening before.

[geoschmo]

Strategia_In_Ultima said:

geoschmo said:
But personally I'll stick to the tried and true method of walking away instead.



On a side note, one thing you should NOT do when facing a snake is walk away. Stand stock still, don't move a muscle, and they'll go away.

Do you have something to back that up? Snakes aren't usually out in the open and most strikes happen because people are tromping about in places where snakes like to hide. Knowing your suroundings and walking away from those areas is the best way to avoid getting bit I'm sure we can agree. Usually the person is hit before they even know the snake is there.

But everything I've read says if you are faced with the classic "stare-down" situation the best thing to do is calmly and slowly move directly away from the snake. It will most likely want to avoid you anyway so the key is to give it the room it needs to go where it wants as quickly as possible. Of course you don't want to turn on your heels and start running away and screaming, but standing still doesn't sound like a very good idea. The snake may be feeling cornered and if you don't move they are going to make you move.

[dogscoff]

Best course of action in any snake-threat situation is to call up Growltigga and ask to borrow a killer mongoose or two...

[Black_Knyght]

Irwin's death strikes a chord (http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/06/irwin.outpouring/index.html)


Cousteau: Irwin 'a remarkable individual' (http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/06/cnna.cousteau/index.html)


Filmed death of 'Croc Hunter' raises questions (http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/06/death.on.tape.ap/index.html)

[Atrocities]

I just spent the last three hours on line playing TRIBES and during one of our games someone brought up Steve Irwin. The game stopped cold while people chatted. This went on for about five minutes. That is a tribute. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

[Black_Knyght]

Whoa, that IS a big thing. I've played online before, and NOTHING slows those folks down.

Impressive...




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