Steve Irwin

[meadors]

Not by a croc, not by a snake, apparently a stingray got him.
RIP Crocadile Hunter.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060904/people_nm/australia_irwin_dc


http://www.nswseakayaker.asn.au/mag/47/stingrays.html

[Robstar]

Crikey!

Poor old Steve... :(

[Kiwifan]

Sorry to hear the bad news Aussies. :cry: He was a good 'un. He will be missed by many....

Russell.

[Cam]

There's irony for ya! :saywhat:

[emjaya]

And yesterday was Father's day, too. Very sad.

Crocodiles all over the world, however, breathe a sigh of relief.

[KLang]

What a shame, he was an entertaining character.

I assume these must be a different variety of stingray from the ones we swam with in Grand Cayman? :eek:

[Insomniac]

Just crazy and sad. :(


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 barb 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.


"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!"'


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.

[Gangrel]

What a shame, he was an entertaining character.

I assume these must be a different variety of stingray from the ones we swam with in Grand Cayman? :eek:

The ones you swam with in Grand Cayman were Southern Stingray. Probably not the same species as this one, I believe this may have been a Bull Ray. However, a large Southern could just have easily done the same thing. The point here is that regardless of the species, this was an unlikely attack. I can't impress upon you enough how unlikely.

All stingrays are venomous and potentially dangerous. Almost none of them are considered threatening. Their weaponry is of a defensive nature, not an attack nature. The biggest threat a stingray poses generally is to put a barb in your shin if you accidentally step on one. This ray didn't just decide it was going to have a go at Steve. It appears Steve may have been working to correct a problem with his camera equipment and unwittingly landed chest first on top of a ray buried in the sand. The envenomation would not likely have been fatal had the barb not come up under his rib cage and pierced his heart.

Point is, unlike many, I don't find fault with Steve on this one, as it likely was no deliberate action of his own that led to the encounter. But at the same time, the ray was only defending himself from a percieved threat. The rays you encounter at Stingray City do not feel threatened. They are showing up to be fed.

I do have a soapbox to get onto about Stingray City and other such attractions, but it has little to do with danger to people, and I will save that one for later....

[RusH]

I heard about it late last night.

Still hard to believe.
RIP

[spinner26]

Though eccentric he was an entertaining character.:(

[rabbit]

I always enjoyed his enthusiasm for what he did. :(

[racermike]

I always wondered when he would push things too far, although sounded like a freak thing (I guess any encounter with a creature that can stab you in the heart, shouldnt be considered a "freak thing")

that and I lost the Steve Irwin death pool

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g13/GoSlash27/irwin.jpg
(borrowed from FARK.com)

[greenie]

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g13/GoSlash27/irwin.jpg

That's classic! :cool: :rofl: :rofl:

Shame because he was bad ass and entertaining.

[Gangrel]

(I guess any encounter with a creature that can stab you in the heart, shouldnt be considered a "freak thing")

I really can't impress upon you folks enough how not his fault this was. As SCUBA divers, some of us encounter the remote possibility of this happening every time we get wet in salt water. It simply never happens. From what I have heard so far, I am not even sure he was messing around with the ray. Sounds like he was fiddling with his gear and possibly never even knew the ray was there until he took the spine in the heart.

Crazy is a word I hear used to describe Steve a lot, but I have never once seen him do anything that would lead me to believe that it was anything other than an intimate understanding of how the animals behave coupled with a longing to bring understanding to a public that has a strong tendency to judge nature rather than understand it.

Joke an laugh all you want. You wouldn't be wisecracking if it was a driver that got killed.

[Ozarkian]

^^^ Thanks for the explanation on the rays. My wife and I were wondering the same thing on the safety issues, as we had done Stingray City the last time we were in the Caymens.

Back on topic, very sad news - he apparently leaves a family with small children. :(

[Linda]

I wish he had not pulled it out of his chest. Maybe the dr's would had a chance to try and save him.

[spinner26]

I wish he had not pulled it out of his chest. Maybe the dr's would had a chance to try and save him.

Don't know for sure, but according to what is being reported the barb is poisonous. The doc did say however that the removal did more damage than the initial entey which is common with most puncture wounds.

Sad indeed, did not realize he leaves behind a wife and two kids also, 8 & 2.:(

[KLang]

Reports now that they have the whole thing on tape. Don't think I want to see it.

[emjaya]

I've been to the Irwin's Australia Zoo quite a few times over the years.The first visit was over thirty years ago on a school excursion as a kid when it was the Beerwah Reptile Park, the last time about six months ago with some English friends and my own kids.Adding up all the school trips I would have been about six times in the past ten years.

The changes to Australia Zoo over that time have been huge.When Steve took over running the zoo from his father, it was a few concrete ponds with a couple of small crocodiles and a smattering of other Australian reptiles and birds.
Now there is everything from tigers and elephants to, lots of large crocodiles, aligators, birds and kangaroo's, with interesting shows in a big stadium and lots of different animals in large open pens, all easy to see and smell.

He and his wife have really put a lot of their money into expanding and improving the zoo and it has paid off for them.The place has been packed the last few times I've been and that has been the middle of the week offseason.The place is clean and tidy and the shows very interesting as well.They have keepers walking around with the large birds and small snakes if you want a photo with it on your arm.

I don't want to sound like a shrill, but it really is a credit to Steve and Terri Irwin and their hard work.Go, if your ever in the country.

On a couple of visits I saw Steve Irwin, not in a croc show unfortunately, but mostly riding a small motorcycle along a service path, his kids on with him, just looking over the park.One time on the parks train we passed a backhoe plodding along with him on. He did not like to stop or be pointed out, but would say hello and wave if he was recognized, just working or keeping an eye on things.I never met him, but have spoken to people who have and they said he was pretty down to earth, not, using a Aussie expression,up himself at all, just a normal guy with wife and kids and a passion for wild life.

The whole Crocodile Hunter thing was to a lot of Australians a little over the top.I not sure he needed to jump on all those crocodiles and most snakes will run away from you, even if they could kill you with a bite.The man seemed to spend his life annoying the most dangerous animals in the world for no reason except making a documentry, but it certainly worked for him and his passion and love for animals and Austraila wildlife was never in doubt.Steve Irwin was,to be honest,a likeable bloke but a bit of a goose.He will be missed, though.

Very sad for his young kids.

[Gangrel]

Don't know for sure, but according to what is being reported the barb is poisonous. The doc did say however that the removal did more damage than the initial entey which is common with most puncture wounds.

You are correct. There are four distinct dangers from a stingray barb puncture. The first, and most obvious, is the puncture wound itself. The second is that the flesh around the barb is venomous, and the puncture very likely results in an envenomation. The third, much like the bite of a Komodo Dragon, is that the barb is surrounded by high concentrations of some pretty nasty bacteria. This can lead to a very nasty septic infection. Finally, often the barb itself breaks off, leaving a foreign body in the wound, not a pleasant complication, especially when it is razor sharp and has nasty little serations on one side. Goes in smooth, don't much like to come out.

If the puncture and the tearing from removing the barb didn't get him, the venom very likely could have stopped his heart, and even if that didn't do it, a septic infection of the heart muscle ultimately would have been his end. Sad to say, but given the wound and the source, it sounds to me like he met his end the relatively easy way.

I am already cringing about the news agencies picking up the ball and running with "Stingrays: The NEW Sharks." :shakehead

[Sean O'Gorman]

I am already cringing about the news agencies picking up the ball and running with "Stingrays: The NEW Sharks." :shakehead

Fear mongering media? Surely you are kidding!

I can't wait to hear the first "could your children be sharing the ocean with a DEADLY stingray? Find out at 11" clip on Opie & Anthony.

[TKGAngel]

Fear mongering media? Surely you are kidding!

I can't wait to hear the first "could your children be sharing the ocean with a DEADLY stingray? Find out at 11" clip on Opie & Anthony.

I would so prefer a deadly stingray news report over the "can your children be sharing the road with a deadly fugitive and the cops chasing him?" reports that have been all over our local media.

Anyway, CNN's saying that Australia is offering the family the option of a state funeral if they so choose.

[Gangrel]

I would so prefer a deadly stingray news report over the "can your children be sharing the road with a deadly fugitive and the cops chasing him?" reports that have been all over our local media.

Anyway, CNN's saying that Australia is offering the family the option of a state funeral if they so choose.

As well Steve deserves! He has spent a great portion of his life not only caring for and educating people on wildlife, particularly reptiles, but also has used that fame to bring quite a number of tourism dollars to Queensland.

I heard the Australian parlaiment was in session when the news broke, and ceased all activity to observe a moment of silence when they heard. :thumbup:

[oddlycalm]

Very sad and ironic. This reminds me a bit of Mike Hailwood racing GP motorcycles including many visits to the Isle of Man, then racing cars in F1 only to be killed by a truck when he and his daughter were driving to the market in the family car.

Thanks for the backstory emjaya. Hope the zoo lives on as his legacy.

oc

[emjaya]

Very sad and ironic. This reminds me a bit of Mike Hailwood racing GP motorcycles including many visits to the Isle of Man, then racing cars in F1 only to be killed by a truck when he and his daughter were driving to the market in the family car.

Thanks for the backstory emjaya. Hope the zoo lives on as his legacy.

oc

They have a big and smooth running machine in the park, it should survive Steve's death if Terri decides to carry on.

Hailwood, that was a shock.He was one of my first heroes. :cry:

[Anteater]

Very sorry to hear this; thoughts and prayers for Steve Irwin's family. :(

I went ocean kayaking a couple of weeks ago; as part of the pre-kayaking briefing, I received a lesson on doing the "Stingray Shuffle" to avoid stepping on a ray. A sting sounded very painful, but I didn't know that it could ever be fatal! Of all the freak things...

[chop456]

Fear mongering media? Surely you are kidding!

I can't wait to hear the first "could your children be sharing the ocean with a DEADLY stingray? Find out at 11" clip on Opie & Anthony.

5:37AM :laugh:

[Ankf00]

Norm McDonald on The Daily Show holds nothing back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5qKv_NOSpo'

[JoeBob]

Norm McDonald on The Daily Show holds nothing back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5qKv_NOSpo'

Saw that last week, and couldn't stop laughing. Poor Jon Stewart, he tried soooo hard not to laugh. (If the clip gets yanked from YouTube, it is up on Comedy Central's website.)

[Opposite Lock]

Norm McDonald on The Daily Show holds nothing back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5qKv_NOSpo'

"No, you don't even want to know, man..."

:rofl: :thumbup:

[SteveH]

Oh man, that IS funny :laugh: :rofl: :laugh:

[G.]

Croaky!





I think the funniest part is Stewart trying not to laugh.

I'll miss the Hunter dude.:(