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Steve Irwin :(

lady.cordelia

lady.cordelia

New Member
I was so sad to hear today of the loss of Steve Irwin! His shows were a favorite for my kids - a chance to learn and have fun and a bit of amazement at the same time. My two-year-old, a huge animal lover, had just gotten interested in his show and it was the one show that would keep him still for practically the entire time!

My prayers are with his family, especially his two young children.
 
Yeah, my dad called me at 9am just to tell me this! It really is sad, I loved his shows, too. I feel really bad for his family, especially his wife.

dumb stingray!
 
Steve Irwin was my idol. I've respected this man for many years, and am very very upset about his passing. Been thinking about it the entire day and still can't believe it.
 
I agree, it's really sad. The man was an institution. It was probably the way he would have chosen to go though - in the middle of action - even if it was a bit too soon. But he always liked living on the edge.
 
but you would have thought after dealing with crocodiles and dangerous snakes a stingray would be nothing. they are very docile (only 17 deaths in recorded history). i have played with them. it must have gotten spooked and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. if it had just gone in an inch or two below we wouldn't be talking of his death.
 
Hmm... celebrity deaths affect me very little, but the last one to affect me in some manner was Anita Mui back in 2003 (I think) - a famous Hongkong singer actress whom I grew up watching.

Irwin is another whom I can't stop thinking about. It was sudden and a great loss. I was trying to learn up his Aussie accent too.

ds
 
I was pretty upset about this too. My family had been following his show on Animal Planet for quite a while and we all enjoyed watching it and following his life in the media. It's just a very tragic accident,..my heart really goes out to his wife, children, and friends.
 
It has most certainly been a loss that Australia will mourn for a long time to come. Steve was a great ambassador for our country, and will leave a huge legend behind. The tourism industry in Australia would forever owe many millions of thanks to Steve for what he did for our country and the wildlife we have.
From all that were close to Steve say that he was a great man with all the down-to-earth aussie qualities that anybody would be glad to have in a best mate.

R.I.P
Steve
 
I also enjoyed watching his antics, and feel sorrow at his tragic death.
Still, I always felt unsettled at his sensationalistic style, dragging the animals out of their hiding places, waving his hands and face in striking distance, turning his back on them, and daring them to attack him. There are ways to observe and photograph creatures in their natural habitat, without putting them in a circus. Granted, that was his style, to thumb his nose at these man killers, but it always struck me as disrespectful - kind of like a matador or a lion tamer.
Still before everyone gets on my case, he was a unique personality and a likable bloke (if that's what they call people down there). I just hope somebody else doesn't try to fill the void because I don't think people should treat wild animals like that.
 
Libre, I agree with you. Whilst he was by all accounts a lovely guy, and he certainly brought Australia back to the attention of many tourists, many Australians did not appreciate the manner in which he treated the animals he worked with. To display this behaviour on shows meant for children is somewhat irresponsible, I think. And the pressure being placed on his young daughter at the moment is disgraceful. The girl is eight years old,for god's sake, don't force her down her father's career path.

Nonetheless, I think we can all be assured that Steve died doing what he loved, and that's what we can all hope for, isn't it?

PS I would also like to say how upset I am about the death of racing legend Peter Brock. He leaves a great legacy for the future of motor sport in this country.
 
Peronel said:
Libre, I agree with you. Whilst he was by all accounts a lovely guy, and he certainly brought Australia back to the attention of many tourists, many Australians did not appreciate the manner in which he treated the animals he worked with. To display this behaviour on shows meant for children is somewhat irresponsible, I think. And the pressure being placed on his young daughter at the moment is disgraceful. The girl is eight years old,for god's sake, don't force her down her father's career path.

Nonetheless, I think we can all be assured that Steve died doing what he loved, and that's what we can all hope for, isn't it?

PS I would also like to say how upset I am about the death of racing legend Peter Brock. He leaves a great legacy for the future of motor sport in this country.
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Steve Irwin never harmed or treated irresponsibly any of the wildlife he worked with. The man wouldn't even hold a snake by it's head, whether venomous or non, in order to not disrupt their long backbones. What exactly was the manner that was irresponsible? He was a professional and knew exactly what he was doing.
 
Well, I won't hold a snake by its head either!
But seriously, I never said he harmed the critters - still, when you drag an animal out of its hidey hole, into the bright light - especially a wild animal that is not used to being handled, you trigger a fight or flight reaction. Yes, he was a professional, and knew what he was doing - effectively eliminating both these responses.
I'm not saying it's the worst thing in the world, but it is exploitive. What's wrong with using a long lens and avoiding direct contact with the animals - which they surely did not enjoy, not being aware of Irwin's intentions.
 
JPost, the irresponsibility I referred to was in reference to behaving with animals in this manner on a show meant for children to view. This may not be an issue for children who aren't exposed to these animals in everyday life, but that isn't always the case here. And I do believe that he caused the animals he was working with a certain amount of distress, whether he hurt their backbones or not.
 
I always enjoyed watching his show.

It always amazes me that after someone dies, you can not be critical about that person and the way they lived without seaming insensitive. Honestly, think back to all the times you were watching his shows, did you ever ask yourself: it is only a matter of time before something gets a hold of this guy? It is shocking that it was a stingray that finished him off.

He will be missed by many.
 
lady.cordelia said:
but you would have thought after dealing with crocodiles and dangerous snakes a stingray would be nothing. they are very docile (only 17 deaths in recorded history). i have played with them. it must have gotten spooked and he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. if it had just gone in an inch or two below we wouldn't be talking of his death.
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I know what you mean. I've played with stingrays as well, ones with those barbs still on their tails. I think it was at SeaWorld. I remember some guy telling me that they wouldn't hurt me unless they thought I was hurting them, and I fed them fish, which was really cool. They suck the fish up out of your fingers. I loved them; I can't believe they were actually deadly.

Especially for Steve Irwin. I kind of figured he'd get killed by an animal, but I was expecting a crocodile or a king cobra or something more ominous and deadly than a stingray.
 
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