Steve Irwin – Crocodile Hunter killed by Stingray
There are days when the passing away of a fellow human being leaves a massive dent on the world, and today is one of those days.
Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter has been killed in a marine accident.
Shortly after 11:00 a.m. local time, Steve was killed by a stingray barb while filming an underwater documentary in the Great Barrier Reef off the Low Isles near Port Douglas, north of Cairns, Queensland, Australia.
News reports say he was stung either through his heart or through the left side of his chest and suffered a fatal heart attack.
After he was stung, his crew called for medical help and the Queensland Rescue Helicopter responded, taking him to Cairns Base Hospital, however, Irwin was immediately pronounced dead at the scene.
John Lever, a crocodile breeder and long time friend of Steve Irwin said, during an interview with Australia’s National Radio that what had happened to Steve was a “freak accident”. Stingrays were usually placid, he said.
“Normally they’re very passive animals. You don’t touch them because they defend themselves” he went on to say.
I guess to most, Steve was known around the world for his enthusiasm for wildlife and catch phrase ‘Crikey’, thanks to his Crocodile Hunter programme.
The program first screened in 1992 and since then Steve has been known to make cameos in a number of movies.
His big rise to fame came when he launched ‘The Crocodile Hunter diaries’ which was aired in the United States.
The program covered life at Australia Zoo wildlife park which was originally founded by his parents, Bob and Lyn Irwin.
Steve himself has publicly said that he inherited his love of reptiles from his father.
His father Bob was a keen reptile enthusiast and moved the family to Queensland in 1970 to open a small reptile park on the Sunshine Coast.
Irwin took over the family business with his wife Terri in 1991 and grew it into Australia Zoo.
Nature lover
In 2003, Steve spoke to the ABC’s Australian Story about how he was perceived in his country.
“When I see what’s happened all over the world, they’re looking at me as this very popular, wildlife warrior Australian bloke,” he said.
“And yet back here in my own country, some people find me a little bit embarrassing.
“You know, there’s this… they kind of cringe, you know, ’cause I’m coming out with ‘Crikey’ and ‘Look at this beauty’.
“Just say what you’re gonna say, mate. You know, is it a cultural cringe? Is it, they actually see a little bit of themselves when they see me, and they find that a little embarrassing?
“I’m fair dinkum, like kangaroos and Land Cruisers, winged keels and bloody flies! I think we’ve lost all that. I think we’ve all become very, sort of, money people.”
He also spoke of his love for surfing.
“You get out there, it’s just you against the waves.
[...] I’m actually gutted to hear that Steve Irwin was killed today by (of all things) a stingray which struck Steve in the side of the chest whilst diving off the great barrier reef. [...]
That terrible. He was one of my favorite TV personalities and one of the main reasons I started watching the Discovery Channel to begin with.
He did some stupid things from time to time but I never thought he would die working with animals. I guess In a way it’s fitting since that’s what he loved doing. I will miss him.
The worl has lost a great bloke.
In a world where people worry more about what people think of them than what is right, Steve was a person that bucked convention.
His enthusiasm for animals was catching, and I couldn’t help watching him and getting dragged into his world a little.
His passing leaves a hole that can’t be easily filled.
My thougths are with Terri, his children and his staff at Australia Zoo.
He will be sadly missed. What a tragic way to go. May his spirit never be forgotten.
[...] We reported earlier today the extremely sad news about the Death of the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. [...]
[...] Experts reacting to the tragic death of Australia’s “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin. have stated that deaths from the barb of a stingray are almost unheard of. [...]
[...] As we reported yesterday. Irwin was killed almost instantly when the stingray stabbed him in the heart with its poisonous 20cm barb as he snorkelled off Port Douglas, in north Queensland. [...]
[...] Many web sites crashed yesterday including the Australian, after the tragic bizarre death of Steve Irwin. What a shame some barbs are more serious than others. [...]
Steve Irwin offered State Funeral whilst Wildlife Warriors donations boom
Steve Irwin’s body has been flown back to his home region on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast ahead of his funeral.
While no details of the funeral have been revealed, Queensland Premier Peter Beattie said the man known around the world for his thick A…
[...] Brock was one of Australian motorsport’s most significant figures, having won the Bathurst 1000 nine times. His death comes only days after the death of fellow Australian celebrity Steve Irwin. [...]
may lord rest his soul in peace and give strength to his family to over come this tragedy
[...] Mr Irwin, 44, died after being struck in the chest by the stingray’s barb whilst filming on the Great Barrier Reef earlier this month. [...]
[...] It’s been nearly a month now since the crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin was killed in a tragic incident when a stingray pierced his heart with its barb. [...]