Steve Irwin killed

It wasn't the venom evidently

the barb went through his heart, the weather was bad and he swam over it and didn't know it was there according to reports.

Top bloke in my book.

 

R.I.P Steve

I used to love watching his programmes but found some of the things he did very scary. He always managed to do enough to stay out of harms way.

Accident or not it's still awful news.

God Bless his wife and family.

 

'Got what he deserved'

That's a bit harsh, I was a big fan and am genuinley mourning his loss. He knew what danger he put himself in, but he was a skilled professional at what he did, and brought joy to millions.

 

RE: R.I.P Steve

Yeah definately a great loss and i feel for his wife and family, he was a great entertainer and he kept me glued to the box wen he was on so R.I.P Steve

 

detailed report of what happpened

http://www.forbes.com/business/healthcare/feeds/ap/2006/09/04/ap2991321.html

Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," 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 "Ocean's Deadliest" 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.

"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.

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 "Crikey!" in his television program "Crocodile Hunter." 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's "The Crocodile Hunters: Collision Course" and developed the wildlife park that his parents opened, Australia Zoo, into a major tourist attraction.

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

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 "shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death."

"It's a huge loss to Australia," Howard told reporters. "He was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. He brought joy and entertainment and excitement to millions of people."

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's 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.

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

"It was extraordinarily bad luck. It's not easy to get spined by a stingray and to be killed by one is very rare," Collin said.

News of Irwin's 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.

"Steve, from all God's creatures, thank you. Rest in peace," was written on a card with a bouquet of native flowers.

"We're all very shocked. I don't know what the zoo will do without him. He's done so much for us, the environment and it's a big loss," said Paula Kelly, a local resident and volunteer at the zoo, after dropping off a wreath at the gate.

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

 

Agree completely MossMan...

You could maybe argue it isn't a great surprise but to say he got what he deserved is bang out of order. He was a fantastic entertainer who genuinely loved the work he did and the wildlife he worked with. Furthermore his conversation work was also inspirational - you only need to look at how the people with whom he worked with responded to him.

Bit of a nutter mind you but the world's a poorer place without him...

 

RE: 'Got what he deserved'

If you play with fire you have to expect to get burnt.

 

Still don't agree mate...

...I'll go so far as to admit he put himself in dangerous situations and, perhaps, it isn't a surprise this is the way he went but you make it sound like he did it just for laughs. He was an animal conservationist whose line of work took him into contact with these animals, also I thought he was a great educator, particularly to young kids, who liked to illustrate what he was talking about by getting close up and personal. His passion was wildlife and he died pursuing that passion - unsurprising and possibly predicatable, yes, deserved, no.

What about footballers who have heart-attacks on the pitch? No different in principle...

 

********!

 

RE: R.I.P Steve

Laura,

I think there was a fair bit of "smoke and mirrors" in what he did. There probably wasn't any "real" danger providing he stuck to the rules. I don't think he would have been allowed to do anything wreckless.

Having said that, the "crocodile feeding" incident didn't look good did it?

It seems the thing that happened yesterday was a pure accident - arguably could happen to anyone swimming in that part of the ocean.

He certainly was a character wasn't he?

 

Easy Phones - Chill.

 

An hole in the heart according to bbc

 

"he came on top of the stingray"

No wonder it was annoyed.

 

RE: Still don't agree mate...

He was primarily a show-man - he put animals in situations of stress, not my idea of an animal lover. Contrast his approach with that of a real educator - David Attenborough.

I did not want him to die, its very sad that he has died, I take no pleasure in his death, however, if you put yourself in those situations you have to expect it.

 

Fair point regarding...

"if you put yourself in those situations you have to expect it" - or at the very least consider it a possibility - I agree with you there and I think so would Steve Irwin but deserved to die is a bit strong - that's all I was saying...

I always thought he was great - he didn't just talk about huge teeth and stuff he got in there and showed you. That said, fair point about the distress caused but I think the ends justified the means...

 

and interacted too closely with the penguins

lordy! Dont paint a good picture! lol

Was only watching his program at the weekend - big loss that! Sad to see and his family must be gutted. A real character.

RIP dude.

 

Really sad news

Top bloke, funny and very entertaining. Genuinely upset me that. RIP Steve lad.

 

Upsetting in a Peely-type way

Seemed a genuinly good bloke.

 

All stingrays must die.