Steve Irwin killed by stingray

[Devastatin Dave]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...lia_irwin_dc_1

Very sad...
Always liked the guy and his love for animals and their conservation. I know some people didn't like him but I thought he was great. What a shame. The world just got a little colder.

[Xiahou]

He seemed like a heck of a guy- I think the world is a little more dull without him.

[Comrade Alexeo]

Semper fi, Steve.

[Kekvit Irae]

[Papewaio]

Rather sad, only really knew of him in the last 5 years or so... he was more famous overseas then locally on the whole.

Energetic and ethusiasitc about what he did. Just had the annoying Queensland accent...

Seemed a top bloke, but a little bit foolhardy (babies and crocs don't mix).

[Incongruous]

...

R.I.P

[Samurai Waki]

A bit too brash for my tastes, but seemed like he had an extremely big heart.

RIP Mate.

[naut]

I feel sorry for his wife, at least he passed away doing something he loved.

[Zalmoxis]

RIP, I actually watched The Crocodile Hunter when I had a chance.

[Divinus Arma]

Semper fi, Steve.

Semper Fi? You a Marine or was he?


A sad day. I was bothered but not shocked. The man took very real risks.

He was a statement of the last decade. Crikey!

[Ignoramus]

Most Australians will feel his death. Steve was very popular over here; he helped to promote awareness about Australian wildlife.

[Fragony]

Oh no's! I had grown so fond of that nutcase

rip

[Ronin]

my condolences to his wife and kid.....

but seriously....one had to expect this.....just another case of evolution working....


I think this guy qualifies...for a darwin award!

[Productivity]

my condolences to his wife and kid.....

but seriously....one had to expect this.....just another case of evolution working....


I think this guy qualifies...for a darwin award!

I tend to agree, stingrays are not the most agressive of creatures. Infact they are normally pretty shy. I just wonder what he did to provoke a reaction from one.

The guy did a lot of good and condolences to his family, but poke wildlife too much and it will bite back.

[Ja'chyra]

It was only a matter of time really, but I'm sure he'll be missed.

[CountArach]

This is truly a pity. As an Australian, I for one will miss him.

RIP Steve.

[Xiahou]

I think this guy qualifies...for a darwin award!

First of all, he had 2 kids already so I doubt he qualifies.

Second, wow that's insensitive.... lots of people do dangerous jobs- but I don't think it's appropriate to say they're too dumb to live if they die in an accident. Sure, he took risks, but he always had safety in mind with a whole team backing him up and entertained people while drawing important attention to threatened habitats. Would you nominate a zookeeper for a Darwin Award if they were killed caring for elephants? Swimming with a stingray is hardly asking for death.

[Samurai Waki]

More insight into the reasons that may have caused his death

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599...6-1702,00.html

its unfortunate he died this way, because Sting Ray Fatalities are really low

[Ronin]

First of all, he had 2 kids already so I doubt he qualifies.

Second, wow that's insensitive.... lots of people do dangerous jobs- but I don't think it's appropriate to say they're too dumb to live if they die in an accident. Sure, he took risks, but he always had safety in mind with a whole team backing him up and entertained people while drawing important attention to threatened habitats. Would you nominate a zookeeper for a Darwin Award if they were killed caring for elephants? Swimming with a stingray is hardly asking for death.

lots of people do dangerous jobs yes.....but most people that do these jobs don´t seek out danger willingly.

there are plenty of nature documentary guys that draw attention to endangered habitats without walking up to a poisonous snake, grabbing it by it´s tail and proceding to piss the animal off to a degree that it wants to bite you.

Now...these guys don´t have the same kind of ratings on TV that Irwin did....and we all know why...deep down the viewer at home is watching to see how far this guy can go before he gets bit/poisoned/whatever.....and I bet he knew it too....it just finally caught up with him.

To answer your question, I would nominate a zookeeper for a darwin award if said zookeeper actively searched danger on his day-to-day work in a reckless way....there is a safe way to do things, even if working with dangerous animals, and then there´s showing off.

like someone said above you have to really piss a stingray off before the animal reacts and does something...so one has to wonder about the actual details of the event.

[edyzmedieval]

I was really fond of that cackling crone. I'll surely miss him, and his "Crikey!".

R.I.P. Steve Irwin - one of the greatest men in history of wildlife

[Xiahou]

lots of people do dangerous jobs yes.....but most people that do these jobs don´t seek out danger willingly.

Really? Arent coal miners 'actively seeking danger' everytime they go to work? Alaskan crab fishing is the most dangerous occupation there is- every season averages several deaths. Should they get Darwin Awards?

there are plenty of nature documentary guys that draw attention to endangered habitats without walking up to a poisonous snake, grabbing it by it´s tail and proceding to piss the animal off to a degree that it wants to bite you.

How many times was he bitten by venomous snakes? Never. Do you think that was just dumb luck or did he have some inkling of what he was doing? It's not like he was killed putting his head in a crocodile's mouth or kissing a great white. He was killed by a sting ray. Divers regularly touch and pet them and few are ever stung- even the few that are rarely suffer serious effects. Again, if a recreation scuba diver were killed after touching a stingray (which we dont even know if Steve did), would you suggest they get a Darwin Award?

[Hepcat]

I have grown up watching the Crocodile Hunter on TV, when I was 7 it used to be something the entire family would watch. Though I was disappointed about not getting to see him when I went to Australia at the age of 7.

It is quite sad and he will be dearly missed in our family.

[doc_bean]

Really? Arent coal miners 'actively seeking danger' everytime they go to work? Alaskan crab fishing is the most dangerous occupation there is- every season averages several deaths. Should they get Darwin Awards?

Their jobs are necessary (well, everything is replaceable in the end) and often people doing these jobs have very little choice. How many coal miners have you heard of that love their job and left an office job to be able to go down in the mines ? How many other forms of employment are available to the Alaskan crab fishers ?

What he did was partly for his own entertainment, he got ratings and became a celebrity, sure. Pete Doherty is a celebrity, he takes excessive amounts of drugs yet has never ODed afaik. He seems to know what he's doing.
Now comparing anyone to Pete is a bit harsh. But what about mountain climbers ? A lot of people do that professionally (as guides, photographers or just for glory for the sponsors), when they go up they know they might not be coming down. Sure, the chances of getting caught in an avalanche when descending from the Mont Blanc are rather small, but it does happen and people do get killed climbing the same mountain hundreds of others have climbed (and you don't want to know how many 'victims' Everest has claimed). These are people that do have a choice. Nobody can convince me that mountain climbing or snake harassing is your only option of employment. These are people who do/did what they love and accepted (or denied) the consequences.

So, does he deserve a Darwin award ? Heck no, he has kids, disqualifying him immediately, and he didn't do anything nearly stupid/funny enough anyway.

Was it to be expected that one day fate would catch up with him and he'd suffer an untimely death ? Yes.

Live fast, die young.

[UltraWar]

RIP Crocodile Hunter

[Ronin]

Really? Arent coal miners 'actively seeking danger' everytime they go to work? Alaskan crab fishing is the most dangerous occupation there is- every season averages several deaths. Should they get Darwin Awards?

what those people do is necessary....(one can discuss to what degree...for example do we really need alaskan crab?....but still)...what Irwin did..(or better yet) the dangerous way in which he did it...was not.

How many times was he bitten by venomous snakes? Never. Do you think that was just dumb luck or did he have some inkling of what he was doing? It's not like he was killed putting his head in a crocodile's mouth or kissing a great white. He was killed by a sting ray. Divers regularly touch and pet them and few are ever stung- even the few that are rarely suffer serious effects. Again, if a recreation scuba diver were killed after touching a stingray (which we dont even know if Steve did), would you suggest they get a Darwin Award?

I can´t say this with absolute certainty but I´m fairly certain I once saw a documentary of his were he did get bit by some snake.....when you have this kind of occupation these things will happen......I´d be very surprised if indeed he never got bitten.

If the scuba diver had somehow provoqued the stingray he would deserve a darwin award....like you said we do not know what has happened exactly in this situation, but Steve´s entire fame came from confronting animals, most of the times in ways that were in no way safe.......
like you said....the average scuba diver doesn´t normally get stung....but the average scuba diver also doesn´t grab snakes and jump into muddy waters with crocodiles.........see a pattern here?

[Fragony]

Ya he got bitten, saw that as well. Ronin is right of course, wrestling crocs isn't the smartest thing to do.

[scooter_the_shooter]

Is anyone actually surprised the guy was a nutcase.


When I first saw him on tv I said that an animal was going to get him.

[Navaros]

I'm glad his baby didn't die too.

Like he might have the time when he dangled his baby in front of live hungry crocodiles.

Him being dead means the world is a safer place for his kids, which he put in grave danger whilst he was alive.

[Beirut]

He was intelligent, was a teacher, had guts, a lot of heart, cared about the world, and he died in the pursuit of knowledge.

Very sad.

[Pannonian]

He was intelligent, was a teacher, had guts, a lot of heart, cared about the world, and he died in the pursuit of knowledge.

Very sad.

David Attenborough did more to promote knowledge of the natural world than Steve Irwin, and he never took any risks unacceptable to experts in the field. Irwin's career was akin to that of Roman gladiators, except he and the wild animals had a more even contest, and like a gladiator, the risks eventually caught up with him. It was entertaining while it lasted, however.