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

[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!