It was a genuine sense of shock that I heard on the radio this morning about the death of Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. 44 is so young, and I really feel for the family that he leaves behind.
On the other hand, he died doing something he felt passionately about (and no-one who has ever seen one of Steve Irwin’s shows could ever deny his enthusiasm), you can’t say fairer than that really. Would it sound terribly crass and insensitive to say that it was with slight disappointment I saw that it was a stingray that did the deed and not a giant saltwater croc? It would have seemed more fitting somehow. Sorry.
RIP Steve Irwin. I think wildlife documentaries will be the poorer for your loss.
Crikey.
11 responses so far ↓
1 zip // 4th Sep 2006 at 2:07 pm
It’s no surprise that this kind of thing would happen to him really, but death by stingray is just bloody unlucky.
I agree, a great loss, he was young and my heart goes to his family.
2 Pewari // 4th Sep 2006 at 4:38 pm
I actually feel quite sad that my boys will never grow up with him as their hero, and we’ll never have that “you should only wrestle a crocodile with full adult supervision” chat.
Somehow David Attenborough doesn’t inspire the same amount of childrens’ adulation.
3 Mitchell // 4th Sep 2006 at 5:42 pm
I feel very sad about it, he was an amazing influence for people to become familiar with the wild creatures of the world. But, I have to be honest, I’m not shocked or surprised. He ran risks virtually every day, and even when you know what you’re doing, the odds against you do stack up.
4 Alley Katt // 4th Sep 2006 at 6:57 pm
I had a call off of my sister this morning telling me, and I must say, at first I thought it was a sick joke, until I turned on AOL and that was the first thing that popped up. My kids (10 & 8) have seen him on TV, and they are genuinely upset by it too.
BTW, Pewari, could I have your e-mail address. Cheers.
5 paula // 4th Sep 2006 at 7:21 pm
I couldn’t believe it when I heard it on the radio this morning. The boys have always loved his shows, he was so gung-ho it was contagious, and for two little boys who love animals his shows were perfect.
I do feel for his family.
How strange that he spends his life dealing with huge crocodiles, poisonous snakes and spiders and gets killed by something so innocuous. (That will be why it is called a stingray then dummy!)
6 GoodTwin // 5th Sep 2006 at 12:07 pm
I wasn’t a huge fan; the few programmes I saw were all about him playing to the camera/audience, and he was brave to the point of stupidity. That said, there was no doubting his devotion to all animals and he will be missed. A sad loss.
7 david // 6th Sep 2006 at 3:54 am
the world is a sader place. Not just for me but for all the knowledge we will never have because Mr. Irwin has passed
8 Linda // 6th Sep 2006 at 7:57 am
There was a shocking piece in The Guardian, written by Germaine Greer of all people, which insulted Steve Irwin. Unbelievable!
9 Pewari // 7th Sep 2006 at 3:17 pm
I haven’t seen that article, Linda. Do you have a link?
10 Smiley // 9th Sep 2006 at 10:05 pm
He had enthusiam, yes, and knowledge, though I never got the sense that he was respectful of the the animals he showcased. I just never could believe the way I saw him antagonize different animals. Instead of a quiet respect or even appreciation he was the “lets poke ‘em and see what happens” kind of guy. That’s something the animals can live without.
With the same breath I acknowledge the extreme grief and loss that his family must be feeling now, and will feel for some time to come. I regret and am saddened by his passing for them alone.
11 Purpleelephant // 10th Sep 2006 at 10:00 am
Oh I must have missed that article too, although to be fair Germaine Greer is horrible about everyone!!
As for Steve Irwin both my daughter and I were genuinely upset by his death. Although I did hear someone say on the radio that it was far better he went that way, imagine if we’d heard that he was fading away with some terminal illness or something. I think I have to agree.
He took risks but better that he did so whilst fuelling our enthusiam for wildlife. After all we all take risks every day.
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