Steve Irwin "Croc Hunter" is dead

[Vegitto]

Poor guy..

 

[tyler811]

Originally posted by: rise

Originally posted by: Sunner

Originally posted by: rise
like what?

Read the Wikipedia article to begin with.
Several AU posters in the thread on /. linked/mentioned other stuff he's done for wild life preservation as well.

all i asked for is one thing you know he did conservationally. its clear you have no idea what he did but thanks though :beer:

In 2001 Irwin was awarded the Centenary Medal for his "service to global conservation and to Australian tourism".[7] In 2004 he was nominated for Australian of the Year, which was won by Steve Waugh. Doubts were cast over his nomination when the "baby Bob" incident occurred in January that year.[8]


Environmentalism
Irwin believed in promoting environmentalism by sharing his excitement about the natural world rather than preaching to people. He was concerned with conservation of endangered animals and land clearing leading to loss of habitat. He urged people to take part in considerate tourism and not support illegal poaching through the purchase of items such as turtle shells. He considered conservation to be the most important part of his work: "I consider myself a wild-life warrior. My mission is to save the world's endangered species." [9] Irwin has bought "large tracts of land" in Australia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the United States, which he describes as "like national parks" and stressed the importance of people realising that they could each make a difference.[10]

He founded the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation, which was later renamed Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, and became an independent charity. He was described after his death by the CEO of RSPCA Queensland as a "modern-day Noah", and British naturalist David Bellamy lauded his skills as a natural historian and media performer. [11] Irwin discovered a new species of turtle that now bears his name, Elseya irwini - Irwin's Turtle - a type of snapping turtle found on the coast of Queensland. [3]
Not to mention he bought land in the USA Fiji Australia that was set aside to wildlife parks.

 

[Doctorweir]

Originally posted by: aidanjm

Originally posted by: 13Gigatons
http://www.belize.com/photogallery/images/stingray-and-diver-belize_jpg.jpg

holy moly! that thing is huge!

That's a Manta Ray, no Sting Ray...Sting Rays have a long tail with the "stinger" at the end...like the Blue Spotted.
And every decent educated diver knows to stay away from those or at least encouter with respect...

Anyway, RIP Steve

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: Kevin1211
my cousin is from aussie.. and i was like "so, is that crocodile guy (irwin) some sort of hero in aussie?"....to which he replied.. "no.. he's like the national idiot"...

I've also heard him called the "national idiot" by friends in Australia. At least the guy had good intentions. His shows were barely educational - the only educational value was the message: "preserve wildlife, don't kill snakes, crocs, etc." And, that's a good message to send. But, his shows were primarily for entertainment. Above all, he was an entertainer whose main act was to have very close encounters with deadly animals. It's sad that he died from an animal, but not completely unexpected. I did think it unlikely that he'd die from a croc though.

For those who say "who'd have thought that a sting-ray would have killed him, sting rays are relatively harmless" - well, that's mostly true of sting rays. They are harmless unless they feel threatened - but they can be deadly (obviously). All you have to do is watch 2 or 3 of Steve's shows to realize, "hey, I'll bet he did something to make that stingray feel threatened." How many times has he said "crikey, he's getting angry" about other deadly animals he was handling? He was never content with deadly snakes just to film them in their natural habitat - he always had to catch them and handle them - some call that a part of his showmanship, others call it idiocy.

It's a sad day. He had a lot of fans, and had a great passion for protecting wild and often deadly animals.

 

[Sunner]

Originally posted by: tyler811

Originally posted by: rise

Originally posted by: Sunner

Originally posted by: rise
like what?

Read the Wikipedia article to begin with.
Several AU posters in the thread on /. linked/mentioned other stuff he's done for wild life preservation as well.

all i asked for is one thing you know he did conservationally. its clear you have no idea what he did but thanks though :beer:

In 2001 Irwin was awarded the Centenary Medal for his "service to global conservation and to Australian tourism".[7] In 2004 he was nominated for Australian of the Year, which was won by Steve Waugh. Doubts were cast over his nomination when the "baby Bob" incident occurred in January that year.[8]


Environmentalism
Irwin believed in promoting environmentalism by sharing his excitement about the natural world rather than preaching to people. He was concerned with conservation of endangered animals and land clearing leading to loss of habitat. He urged people to take part in considerate tourism and not support illegal poaching through the purchase of items such as turtle shells. He considered conservation to be the most important part of his work: "I consider myself a wild-life warrior. My mission is to save the world's endangered species." [9] Irwin has bought "large tracts of land" in Australia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the United States, which he describes as "like national parks" and stressed the importance of people realising that they could each make a difference.[10]

He founded the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation, which was later renamed Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, and became an independent charity. He was described after his death by the CEO of RSPCA Queensland as a "modern-day Noah", and British naturalist David Bellamy lauded his skills as a natural historian and media performer. [11] Irwin discovered a new species of turtle that now bears his name, Elseya irwini - Irwin's Turtle - a type of snapping turtle found on the coast of Queensland. [3]
Not to mention he bought land in the USA Fiji Australia that was set aside to wildlife parks.

Thank you for owning that dimwit for me so I didn't have to bother.

 

[Omegachi]

no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[waggy]

how sad. bu tnot a suprise. i always thought he would get nailed by a croc or a snake.

while his shows were not educational they were entertaining. His love for the animals (and his kids!) was obvious. I enjoyed his shows very much.

 

[videopho]

Animal show will never be the same w/o him. He'll be sadly missed.
RIP

 

[Accipiter22]

holy crap!!! that's so sad.....I'll always remember how much he loved all nature, and fought to protect the environment...I do think his shows were educational in that they exposed us to creatures we might never have seen

 

[o9z]

Have a "Good'ay mate"

RIP Steve-O

 

[Midlander]

Rarely do you see someone who loves their work so much.

 

[Fritzo]

I just learned about this. Awful- his two young children will be crushed

At least he died doing what he loved, instead of something meaningless like a car accident or a plane crash.

 

[43st]

This is sad. He was a great man for the conservation and environmental movement.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

I always thought this was going to happen. But at the same time I never expected it to come

 

[tcsenter]

This reminds me of a tough old character I worked with years ago who survived two combat tours in Vietnam, a private plane crash that mangled his leg, and a boiler explosion that scalded him badly over 30% of his body. One beautiful summer day, he was killed by a bee while working in his yard (severely allergic).

I enjoyed watching Steve (most of the time when he wasn't totally over the top). RIP, Croc Hunter.

 

[MetalMat]

He had a wife and kids too

RIP

 

[MichaelD]

I thought Rays' were non-aggressive? They are like the first thing people latch onto when they go scuba diving. You find one of the big ones and just let it tow you along.

I won't be doing THAT, that's for sure!

Very sad news; I liked the guy. Of course, he was an IDIOT. A fearless idiot...and that was a huge part of the attraction for me. I always said "He's one of those fearless, stupid idiots that nothing ever happens to!"

I always thought if it happened, he'd get chomped by a croc.

 

[tyler811]

Originally posted by: DrPizza

Originally posted by: Kevin1211
my cousin is from aussie.. and i was like "so, is that crocodile guy (irwin) some sort of hero in aussie?"....to which he replied.. "no.. he's like the national idiot"...

I've also heard him called the "national idiot" by friends in Australia. At least the guy had good intentions. His shows were barely educational - the only educational value was the message: "preserve wildlife, don't kill snakes, crocs, etc." And, that's a good message to send. But, his shows were primarily for entertainment. Above all, he was an entertainer whose main act was to have very close encounters with deadly animals. It's sad that he died from an animal, but not completely unexpected. I did think it unlikely that he'd die from a croc though.

For those who say "who'd have thought that a sting-ray would have killed him, sting rays are relatively harmless" - well, that's mostly true of sting rays. They are harmless unless they feel threatened - but they can be deadly (obviously). All you have to do is watch 2 or 3 of Steve's shows to realize, "hey, I'll bet he did something to make that stingray feel threatened." How many times has he said "crikey, he's getting angry" about other deadly animals he was handling? He was never content with deadly snakes just to film them in their natural habitat - he always had to catch them and handle them - some call that a part of his showmanship, others call it idiocy.

It's a sad day. He had a lot of fans, and had a great passion for protecting wild and often deadly animals.

He was entertainer but he was also very educational. He took the most dangerous animals and showed the world what they were, told us about them and how they lived. He was always telling facts about the animals and he did it his way. Was he over the top? Yes he was but it worked because the world was watching.

As being the national idiot, I know many people from Australia and many told me that some people did not like the fact that he stood up a animal many people would rather see wiped from the earth. (Crocs) He had a voice in the illegal hunting of animals and this really pissed people. Other did not like his loud boisterious way he approached people and the way he went about protecting wildlife. Basically the people who who called a "National Idiot" are the ones who dont like what he stood and the way he went about it.

And for ALL those whose he was handling it or trying piss it off 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 bard 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.
Copied from MSN

A string ray will attack if its feels threatened, there have been many times I have wading in to the coastal waterways of Florida and come across these. Many times they swim away but there have been times where I have had to take the barb out my shoe whan they tried to sting me just walking next them. You cant see either as they burrow into the sand or hide under rocks to ambush their prey. When you you fish in the ocean, these are common catchs. You have to apply slight pressure to the tail to keep it from moving so they wont sting you while you remove the hook. I have come across many people who kill them or remove their stringer "Because they are dangerous animals" . This is the mentality that Steve was trying to educate.

 

[Aquaman]

Originally posted by: Doctorweir

Originally posted by: aidanjm

Originally posted by: 13Gigatons
http://www.belize.com/photogallery/images/stingray-and-diver-belize_jpg.jpg

holy moly! that thing is huge!

That's a Manta Ray, no Sting Ray...Sting Rays have a long tail with the "stinger" at the end...like the Blue Spotted.
And every decent educated diver knows to stay away from those or at least encouter with respect...

Anyway, RIP Steve

That's not a Manta Ray......... this is.

CHeers,
Aquaman

 

[Aquaman]

Originally posted by: Doctorweir

Originally posted by: aidanjm

Originally posted by: 13Gigatons
http://www.belize.com/photogallery/images/stingray-and-diver-belize_jpg.jpg

holy moly! that thing is huge!

That's a Manta Ray, no Sting Ray...Sting Rays have a long tail with the "stinger" at the end...like the Blue Spotted.
And every decent educated diver knows to stay away from those or at least encouter with respect...

Anyway, RIP Steve

That picture could be a stingray

Cheers,
Aquaman

 

[Raduque]

Originally posted by: ciproxr
"if you have nothing nice to say dont say anything at all"

Then they wouldn't be able to "+1 postcount" and show how "cool" and "edgy" they are for badmouthing the dead. :disgust:

He may have done many stupid things in the pursuit of his shows, but so what? He was widely liked throughout the world due to his unique nature shows, and he will be missed despite the asshats in this thread.

Rest in piece Steve. May your family get through this difficult time with all the help and love from your millions of fans.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
I thought Rays' were non-aggressive? They are like the first thing people latch onto when they go scuba diving. You find one of the big ones and just let it tow you along.

I won't be doing THAT, that's for sure!

Very sad news; I liked the guy. Of course, he was an IDIOT. A fearless idiot...and that was a huge part of the attraction for me. I always said "He's one of those fearless, stupid idiots that nothing ever happens to!"

I always thought if it happened, he'd get chomped by a croc.

I know a couple people who've been stung by them in the foot. I've stepped on small ones while going out in the ocean to surf but they usually just swim away, if they can't get away they will sting you. They are very painful but not leathal usually. Apparently, he got stung in the chest and the barb pierced his heart.

BTW-He has a daughter and a 3 year old son.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: tyler811
I have come across many people who kill them or remove their stringer "Because they are dangerous animals" . This is the mentality that Steve was trying to educate.

How ironic you say that.

If anything, this event taught people how deadly these stingrays really are.

 

[91TTZ]

Originally posted by: Aquaman

That's not a Manta Ray......... this is.

CHeers,
Aquaman

That underwater jet is carrying two missiles.

 

[her209]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ

Originally posted by: tyler811
I have come across many people who kill them or remove their stringer "Because they are dangerous animals" . This is the mentality that Steve was trying to educate.

How ironic you say that.

If anything, this event taught people how deadly these stingrays really are.

Dude, that's like saying a horse is a "dangerous animal" because it killed someone when it kicked them in the head.