My older daughter is a big fan of his, and we would watch his shows together from time to time. I'm not crazy about lizards big or small, but his adventures were entertaining. He will be missed at our house.
I was online when the first reports came in last night and I TOTALLY thought it was a hoax until I saw more reputable sites updating with it : I am a HUGE Steve Irwin fan and just can't believe it!!!
I read an article on an australian site that said that a stingray barb (even to the heart) wouldn't have killed him that quickly, that he must have had a reaction to the stingray venom.
At least he died doing what he loved. I'm really going to miss him.
According to the Reuters report, usually people get a surface injury from the barb and get affected by the venom, which is very painful but rarely causes death. The barb itself, however, an expert said, can inflict an injury like a knife or a bayonet - and can't be removed without tearing up the tissues, because of the secondary barbs along its length. The Reuters report said he got stabbed with the barb going directly into his chest, ripping a hole into his heart. He'd been swimming above the ray and it flicked its barb straight up into him. There wasn't even time for an allergic reaction to start.
He never did anything unprepared. I'm sure they had medicals with them to treat a lot of venom and allergic possibilities. There was always the chance to encounter jellies and lots of things. This was pure mechanical damage. (According to the Reuters, he's only the third person in Aussie history to actually be killed by a ray.)
So sad. But, as a friend of mine just said - if it had to be something, at least it wasn't from a crocodile, because then all the not-fans would have been saying it was only a matter of time.
I was really shocked to hear this news this morning...
I believe he taught alot of people through his television programmes about how to respect and conserve nature and make people understand more about reptiles especially and their behaviour.
i was in total shock when i read this lastnight, still in a bit of shock now. he was over the top, but i loved watching his shows... and you could tell that he really loved his job. it is a very sad day indeed. =(
I heard it at work. (convenience store) The first news I heard, a customer said Crocodile Dundee, I didn't feel too bad- since that guy retired(right?). It was later, putting two and two togetther and hearing "yeah he was only in his forties" I realized who it was and asked another customer if it was true. and it was.
Of all things...I always thought he'd die of a poisonous snake bite.
My sympathies really go out to his family; I lost my own father at 8 so I can imagine how those kids must feel.
I read about it early this morning and thought like everyone else. Total joke. Then it eventually sank in. It was the subject of our family BBQ today. He was truely an icon. I don't know of anyone who had not at least heard of him.
"Life can only be lived looking forward. It is understood when looking backwards" - Hadji From Real Adventures of Jonny Quest Gold Knight's Cel Gallery - Rubberslug
::sigh:: i heard about it on the morning news... my friend, who was living in australia for 9 months, was with me and we both just stared at the tv blankly. steve irwin is one of the few public personas that spoke out about the importance of our environment and it's creatures. rip steve... i miss you...
blueheaven wrote:I feel bad for his family, especially his little boy. However, quite honestly, I am not shocked or surprised. / --- / He did raise a lot of money and awareness for the environment, though. I applaud his efforts there. Really is too bad.
The Doctor : … and then, just to finish off, I’m going to wipe every last stinking Dalek out of the sky !
Dalek : But you have no weapons ! No defenses ! No plan !
The Doctor : Yeah ! And doesn’t that scare you to death ?
For real. But not the end of the world, tunnel vision.
The Three Laws of Robotics:
1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
-I, Robot (Asimov)
When I was in college, one of my best friends and I would get together every week to watch his show. I had always planned to visit his zoo and hopefully meet him. I must say that I never thought he would be killed by an animal like this. I always believe that he would die from a mosquito bite or falling out of a tree. I'm going to have to watch the South Park parody about him repeatedly this week.