Blimey

[mandragora]

So Steve Irwin has been killed whilst filming a wildlife documentary by a stingray.

It did seem that he took risks - I remember the cocodile and poisonous snakes vividly - but I didn't expect the poor man to actually die from it. I know some Aussies found him to be a bit of an embarrassment, but I am sorry to hear the news.

I suppose he died doing something he loved, however I doubt very much he wanted to die from it. He was aged 44.

Comments

[vlredreign.livejournal.com]

Holy shit! Are you serious??? He was over the top at times, but I enjoyed watching him. *is sad*

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

You'll have gathered by now that I was very serious. Also shocked. Bit like when I heard about Princess Di. *wry smile*

[vlredreign.livejournal.com]

I went to MSN after reading this to get the scoop. I still can't believe it. And I remember hearing about Princess Di. My BIL told me about that, and I didn't believe him, cause he has this habit of, well, lying about everything. I was floored for days, because I remembered being up at 6am watching the wedding.

My heart goes out to his wife and kids.

[cyberducks.livejournal.com]

The Crocodile guy is dead?! Oh my god, didn't he have a wife and small children? How terrible!

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Yeah. He could be a dickhead at times, but was a passionately committed conservationist and deserves high praise for that.

[temaris.livejournal.com]

It's not exactly surprising that the wildlife won in the end, but how terrible for his family. Still, as you say, he was doing something he loved.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Yes, but it really is one of those bizarre, and incredibly unlucky, deaths. Personally, I think it's a big loss to conservationists.

[treehavn.livejournal.com]

You basically wrote the post I was thinking of writing. I always thought Steve Irwin was something of a berk, but I'm still a little perturbed that he's actually, you know, dead. I mean, he spent his life getting daftly close to dangerous creatures, but it still seems a little odd that it killed him, and I feel for his wife and kids. However, I cannot feel anything other than a slight griping pain that the telly will doubtless be awash with Crocodile Hunter re-runs in the weeks to come.

[tboy.livejournal.com]

What she said.


I tried to watch TV earlier tonight, but the non-stop Steve Irwin demise hooplah media frenzy circus drove me away. *slaps reporters and other sundry annoyances*

IMHO Mr Irwin's great enthusiasm made him over confident, and he was, alas, not always as in control as he liked to believe. Although he certainly, certainly, knew his stuff, he was, at times, very reckless, although he always denied it.

The final argument seems to have fallen in favour of Nature over cocky human.

It's a shame. He was likeable and obviously very popular.

[treehavn.livejournal.com]

he was, at times, very reckless

Like the infamous 'dangling baby over crocodiles' stunt, no? He was obviously a very enthusiastic bloke and loved his subject, but really!

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Yep. It was stupid and irresponsible.

[tboy.livejournal.com]

Yes, that didn't go down very well, did it?

[treehavn.livejournal.com]

Tastefully, that's the only clip that the BBC seems to be able to find to stick with his tv obit.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Yes, my sympathies re the media coverage. It's headline news here, so over there I should imagine it's only second to the death of Princess Diana for the media-blitz.

I agree he was a berk at times, but I find myself unexpectedly saddened. Didn't think I'd feel that way. And the actual death seems to be incredibly unlucky, rather than reckless. Sigh.

[tboy.livejournal.com]

only second to the death of Princess Diana for the media-blitz

That's what I said last night - Steve Irwin, the Princess Diana of Australia (media-circus wise, heh).

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Well, I've never actually seen Crocodile Hunter so won't be too pained if they show it. Once.

It really is bizarre, isn't it?

[keletkezes.livejournal.com]

It'd never have been a croc: they were both in their home environment (within reason). With a stingray it's one in the watery home, one in the watery hell: the odds are nasty, especially because they're vicious buggers.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Well, actually, he was incredibly unlucky. There have only been 17 people worldwide killed by sting rays in the past 10 years, and his is only the third recorded death in Australian history.

So although he regularly did risky things with the most dangerous wildlife on the planet, he wasn't doing anything that should have been intrinsically risky. Seems the sting ray was buried beneath the sand, so he didn't realise it was there and he and a camera man got too close to it and scared it, so it lashed out. The barb venon probably wouldn't have killed him, but the barb pierced his heart and it was the physical damage to the heart that caused his demise.

[keletkezes.livejournal.com]

See, as a child, at the Sealife Centre, we were always told they were vicious buggers in the wild (though yes, unless allergy means otherwise, it's unlikely to kill a person). Amazing how you get different scientific views 10 years later.

[treewishes.livejournal.com]

I know! I was all sniffly when I found out, and I just can't look at piccies with him and his little kids. Tragedy.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean. I'm a lot more saddened than I thought I'd be.

[liresius.livejournal.com]

As an Australian who drove past SI's reptile farm in my childhood on the way to family camping holidays on the Sunshoine Coast, I should have known more of him. We never DID go to his family's reptile farm! I mostly found out about him through his press coverage/popularity with the rest of the world (being in Japan as I am). I was in Australia a week ago for a visit to the family and so, present for all the media coverage. I got more info on him in two hours than I had in 10 years through a replay of Andrew Denton's interview of him in "Enough Rope" and the news reports. But all the coverage just gave me trouble getting to sleep the night/day it all happened. Weird considering I didn't know much about him - I still felt a loss! As a diver though, I couldn't really get behind the "tragedy" of the mode of his death. Rays ARE dangerous and although not aggressive - they will defend themselves. Yes deaths are rare, but rays are not to be underestimated. I didn't feel SI was someone to be apologetic about, although I got from the news that many Australians were/are (and maybe I might have been if he hadn't had some pretty damn good conservationist principles (and practice) working for him). Definitely not a sophisticated urbanite, but he was genuine and had a political stance on some important issues - much more so than Hoges in his Crocodile Dundee persona, so the little I knew of him was a huge improvement on previous "ambassadors" for me!