Favorite Steve Irwin moment?

[Shakespeare]

He was the rare human being who could educate and entertain simultaneously--no small thing, and he put his success to good, measurable use with his conservation projects.

My favorite Steve Irwin moment was a blooper from one of his shows, shown over closing credits. He had an alarmingly large spider on a rectangular piece of plexiglass, and was rotating the plexigrass around as he talked about the arachnid (with his usual breathless enthusiasm), which of course encourage the spider to move around a bit. When the spider had apparently tired of being moved around, it moved lightning-fast off the plexiglass and up Irwin's arm; Irwin's voice immediately went up a couple of octaves, and he squealed in fright and began jumping around to get the spider off him.

This especially delighted me, because I happen to harbor a love for all things slimy, creepy and crawly (especially frogs), but have a deep and completely irrational fear of spiders. To see the usually fearless Irwin react as I would to having a spider crawl up his arm made him seem wonderfully human.

[bertha katzenengel]

1. I have none - he irritated me - but god damn, what a horrible way to

die. Especially for an animal lover. I am very sorry he's gone. He contributed color and education. :(

RIP Steve Irwin

[Bucky]

19. I've reconsidered. It's the perfect way to die. Another life lesson taught

He died too soon. But his death does seem to have honored his life.

[lost-in-nj]

2. I didn't watch him regularly

but there is one episode I saw about a mouse/rat infestation in a barn.
There had to be a Brazillion of them.!!11

Really at least thousands and thousands. He just jumped right in the middle of these creatures and picked some up. When the lights hit them they went crazy
I could not sleep that night. it gave me the willies, heebee geebees or what ever you want to call them.
Ugh I am shaking now just thinking about it.

RIP Steve Irwin and a hug to his family....


lost

[ellisonz]

3. Capturing the Lost Croc of Vanatu...

This poor croc got caught in a current and swept out to sea and was lost of Vanatu and Steve and Co buit a trap and with the help of the initially terrified islanders patched up the crocs eye on the beach and the flew him to safety.

How can anyone who does something like that be bad?

[Cannikin]

4. Any time he said "this is reeeeeeeealy dangerous" is his Aussie accent

[idgiehkt]

5. lots

the very first time I ever saw him 'cause he was a different animal than I had ever seen before/the time he went up a tree and went after this feral cat that was stalking the nest of some species of native bird, and scared him off so Terri could catch the cat with a net, and spent the whole time talking about he pissed he was what feral cats were doing to native species (feral cats are my least favorite species I've ever dealt with in any capacity)/the time he and Terri were out driving at night and found a joey who's mom had ben hit by a car and he chased it down and then Terri put it in her shirt to keep it warm, that was so cute...and they made a little sack for it and it stayed with suey for the rest of the trip into the outback/when Suey died, and he cried on camera, that was so sad, and they did a little retrospective about it...I can't remember any more right now but he was a lot of fun to watch...

[BlueIris]

6. Well, this isn't exactly one of the happy ones, but

it involves that time (I don't remember if it was on an episode of the Crocodile Hunter or on another series or special) he and his team were hunting for crocs and found one that had been shot in the head by someone. Irwin totally freaked and started crying, (and rightly so) explaining to the cameras that the crocodile, had it lived, would have had another good twenty years in it, maybe more, and that it was the worst thing in the world that someone had actually shot it with a gun. That's only one moment that reflects his deep affection for animals--he obviously loved them very much, even the dangerous ones, and wasn't afraid to show his naked emotional attachment to them. Most animal lovers I know wouldn't hold back, either, but still. That moment, not all the crazy daredevil stuff, showed me more about who Irwin was than anything.

[idgiehkt]

8. I think I remember that

the one I saw was where he said that the animal probably did not die instantly and had had a lingering death. He was so passionate about his crocs.

Ooh, I just thought of another one, where he and Terri were diving and they came across a sea turtle that they said was probably about 100 years old. (I have no idea how they knew how old it was but they said that she had probably come into the shallower water to die or something like that). They wanted to rescue her but they said the trip back to the zoo (or rescue center or whatever) would probably kill her because she was so old. So they just swam with her and filmed her for a long time.

[JVS]

7. Learning of his death, crikey!

Sorry to be a cold hearted bastard, but when I find out that a man who taunted animals for a living got killed by a stingray, it just figures. Similar to that "Grizzly man" guy getting eaten or if Evil Knievil were to get killed doing a stunt. It's one of those "What the fuck, didn't you think this would happen eventually?" things. Ultimately this is the event that will seal his legendary status for generations to come.

[Bucky]

10. boo, hiss, boo

I don't think you're sorry one bit. I mean, sure there's some chuckle-down-the-sleeve irony there. But it's probaby worth noting that he was killed by an animal outside his field of expertise. Also, I don't think he "taunted" animals so much as examined them and interacted with them in as an educational form of entertainment. Animals being bothered by other animals--even humans--is pretty much a natural part of life in wild.

Your snarkiness aside, Irwin did far more good than ill in the world.

[JVS]

11. You're right, he was a good guy

But still there is something funny about a guy who is world famous for getting into dangerous situations with animals finally meeting his match.

[Kajsa]

9. There were so many favorite moments with Steve.

I loved how he talked to the animals.

He would call them "darling" and "sweetheart" as they
were about to bite him or whack him good!
He would exclaim,
" Ain't she/he a beaut!"

He loved them all and it showed.

[Lisa]

12. he was kind to Harriet the tortoise ...

"Harriet has been a huge chunk of the Irwin family's life," Irwin said Saturday. "She is possibly one of the oldest living creatures on the planet and her passing today is not only a great loss for the world but a very sad day for my family. She was a grand old lady."


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/24/tech/main1749256.shtml

[OzarkDem]

13. The Komodo Dragons

An excellent show about really unsual and rare creatures in their own habitat. Great story all around.

He always spent so much time talking of how "nice" snakes were, it made me try to not be so terrified of them. I happen to have a lot of them living in my yard, making it very difficult to do any kind of gardening. Rather than go on an extermination mission, I've tried to "help" them relocate elsewhere.

[Lisa]

17. that would probably have made him really happy!

I don't think he was trying to get everyone to go become an avid biologist, or go around picking up snakes and crocodiles -- but encouraging people to see them as interesting creatures, rather than vermin to be exterminated, seemed to be one of his goals in life. If a few more people are less scared of snakes, I think that's definitely an improvement! They still make me jump sometimes, but the other day I walked past one that was basking on a log, and both of us just went on minding our own business.

I remember growing up in the 1970s, when the dads of some of my friends would try to squash any snake they saw, even the non-poisonous ones. (My own father, a former Cub leader and science teacher, took a more modern approach ... but I still remember seeing grown men freaking out and taking a stick to a perfectly harmless garter snake, and getting angry at me when I tried to get them to stop.) Luckily, times are changing.

[Subdivisions]

14. For me, it wasn't just Steve's daring adventures and his

enthusiasm I loved, it was his pride and devotion to his family. Sure, he missed the boat when he held his son while feeding a croc, but I believe that he felt in control of the situation and never thought he was putting Bob in danger.

My favorite Steve Irwin moment has everything to do with Bob. Croc Hunter Diaries did a special featuring Terri's pregnancy with Bob and the subsequent birth. The family allowed the cameras to roll during the intimate occasion of Bob's birth and Steve really touched me with his absolute support, love and gentleness with his wife and the pride he exuded upon Bob's birth.

What a proud papa he was. My condolences and heart go out to Terri, Bindi and Bob on this saddest day of their lives.

[Jamastiene]

15. I loved the look on his face when he was squatting

near a rock in the mountains of North Carolina (I think that is where he was) and he realized a rattlesnake was right under him honing in on his dangly bits. That was priceless. I also loved it when he said "Crikey!" For Steve: "Crikey, why'd you have to leave us so soon?" I'll miss him.

[catbert836]

16. When he...

snuck around the back of a Rocky Mountain rattlesnake and jammed his finger up its buttocks.

Oh wait, that was on South Park.

I didn't really follow his exploits, but it's really terrible that after doing so many highly dangerous things, he died in a freak accident after taking more precautions than usual.

[undeterred]

18. Dana Carvey did imitations of him and they were together on Leno

The two together were extremely funny. All I can remember now is something like "where's my khakis?" being made to sound like "where's my car keys?"

[bleedingheart]

20. I recall him doing some special on rattlesnakes...he was in

the timber rattlesnake territory and he found himself in literally an area where a bunch were living...and he was pretty freaked out..and so was I ..

I go hiking in those areas and it was my worst nightmare ...but he got out and he taught my kids and I a great deal about wild life.

I just feel awful for his wife and kids.