Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin dead

[IChing]

Edited on Sun Sep-03-06 09:40 PM by Gusto md
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20349888-2,00.html


September 04, 2006 02:14pm



THE Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, is dead.

He was killed in a freak accident in Cairns, police sources said. It is understood he was killed by a sting-ray barb that went through his chest.

He was swimming off the Low Isles at Port Douglas filming an underwater documentary and that's when it occured.

Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality this morning at Batt Reef off Port Douglas.

[ComerPerro]

1. thats too bad

[liberaldemocrat7]

51. Crap. Most unfortunate to him, his family and others who loved him.

I'm sorry to see this happen.

Rest in peace.

[IChing]

2. In LBNs....crap I loved this guy.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2492660

[JI7]

3. can't believe it, that's so sad,i always found him fun to watch

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

4. Oh My Fucking God. That's Horrible!

Holy cow, I don't believe this is for real. That's horrible news. My prayers and sympathies go out to his family.

[pitohui]

5. this is extremely upsetting

he was too young

if there is any peace in this, at least he went out doing what he loved

[TimeChaser]

6. Goddammit, I'll be depressed all week

:cry: I've always enjoyed watching him.

[MADem]

7. Well fuck that is awful. And we know what the news will carry the next

two-three days, absent some terra.

My condolences, FWTAW, to his loved ones.

[Scout1071]

8. For real?

How sad.

[Jazzgirl]

9. That is so awful!

I hate that happened but at least he died doing the work he enjoyed best. That is awful for his family though because he had so much ahead of him. :grouphug:

[Crunchy Frog]

10. Oh no!

:cry:

I know he chose to live dangerously, and that something like this was likely to happen eventually, but it's still really a shock and really sad.:(

[IChing]

11. He was almost a superman with his bravery and power

He also was a good advocate for wildlife and nature that turned his viewers into people who cared about the environment.

He will be missed.

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

17. Absolutely Agree

[Fridays Child]

12. So sad.

:(

[htuttle]

13. Well...

"No point asking when it is,
No point asking who's to go,
No point asking what's the game,
No point asking who's to blame,
'Cos if you're gonna die, if you're gonna die,
'Cos if you're gonna die, if you're gonna die,

If you're gonna die, die with your boots on,
If you're gonna try, just stick around,
Gonna cry, just move along,
If you're gonna die, if you're gonna die. "
-- b. dickinson, smith, harris

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

19. Long Time Since That Song Was In My Head.

Funny though, when I think of the sadness I feel for this news on Steve and hear this song in my head, somethin about it just doesn't mesh, ya know?

[tabasco]

14. He fought to protect animal habitat. A noble cause.

He was a good man and he left a family behind.

RIP and sympathy to his family.

[oldtime dfl_er]

31. yes, so sad!

He was an environmentalist all the way. He will be missed!!!

[CoffeeCat]

15. This is heartbreaking...

I remember seeing him on Oprah. He had small children. He has a daughter who worshiped him and would
work along side him. She was young--not even a teenager. Also, he has a very small child--under the age
of 3.

This is just really sad. He was so full of life. He was always so excited about the animals, and his
enthusiasm was contagious.

I am so sad for his family. They seemed so close, and he seemed full of love and pride for his children.

Very tragic.

[Digit]

16. Very, very sad....I loved that guy.

I heard the news over the radio and had to check out CNN for confirmation.
He will be missed. :cry:

[Tinksrival]

18. My daughter and I "grew up" with Steve and his family.

I'm sad to hear his children won't have him. :cry:
Bye Steve! Thanks for the good times!

[Fox Mulder]

20. I really loved watching his show back in the day.

No one else had the bravery to do what he did. He was one of the reasons why I started to go to college for biology.

He will be missed. :(

[TheMadMonk]

46. Actually there are several with the bravery.

He was just smart enough to take a camera along.

My nephew is going to be devastated. He's half convinced his other uncle (my brother Sean) is Steve, due to a very strong physical resemblance.

[Nabia2004]

21. As to be expected our local news shows no respect.

They announce his death showing footage of him holding his baby while feeding the crocodile.

[Tinksrival]

23. That whole thing made me so mad!

At the media! I still think he had nothing to apologize for. Stupid media. :mad:

[TimeChaser]

24. I agree

People don't seem to realize that he was a professional who'd been working with crocs since he was a kid.

[radwriter0555]

22. Awwwww, we LOVED HIM!!!!! But DAMN what a hella way to go? I can only

imagine he died doing something he enjoyed and loved. He was such a passionate, amazingly ALIVE man.

What a sad, sad day and a real loss to everyone of a really great, nice, compassionate, passionate man.

[La_Fourmi_Rouge]

25. He's probably got the whole thing on tape.

I'll bet that Steve would have loved to do a voice-over on the video of his own death - a tense atmosphere filled with drama and courage, up close with a dangerous wild creature he both admired and feared...

A death befitting a legend - only Homer could do it justice.

What can I say? He was a great guy.

[americanstranger]

28. You got that right.

He died the death of a true adventurer.

Cheers, Steve Irwin. Here's to ya. (Lifts tequila glass.)

- as

[tiptoe]

29. Description: "Stingrays are the largest of the venomous fish..."

Excerpt from:
Attack of the Killer Ray
by Trevor Gardner

http://www.nswseakayaker.asn.au/mag/47/stingrays.html

Stingrays are the largest of the venomous fish, and there are many species in the Australian coastal waters. The tail of the stingray carries at least one barb or spine that may be up to 37 cm long. The barbs are cartilaginous and retroserrate, and covered by a film of venom and mucous contained within an integumentary sheath. Two longitudinal ventrolateral grooves contain venom secreting glands. Stingrays usually lie in the sand on the seabed. When disturbed by pressure over the dorsum of the body, the tail is thrust upward and forward, driving the barb in to the victim. Rupture of the integumentary sheath on penetration allows the venom to be released.
The venom contains toxic proteins. The effects of the venom may be local and/or systemic. Local effects include severe pain at the site of injury and tissue necrosis. Systemic effects include nausea, vomiting, salivation, sweating, respiratory depression, muscle fasciculation, convulsions, cramping abdominal pain, cardiac arrhythmia, myocardial ischaemia and, rarely, death. Many of the systemic effects have been documented only in patients with viscus penetration (gut), and not in those with peripheral stingray injuries.

Local venom effects are usually more troublesome in peripheral stab injuries, but if the barb pierces a vital organ or structure mechanical damage may be more dangerous then the venom effects.

Instances of serious, penetrating, non-cardiac injuries include collection of pus within the chest three days after netting a stingray and sustaining a barb injury to the chest; penetration of the liver; multiple bowel perforations; and laceration of a femoral artery, with death by exsanguination. Penetrating cardiac injuries have generally been fatal. In 1938, an adult women died after a stab wound to the heart by a stingray. The autopsy showed that the ventricles had been completely transfixed by the barb. An Australian soldier died in 1945 after a stab wound to the left heart, sustained while swimming in seawater baths near Melbourne, Victoria.

The current patient was fortunate to have a sustained an injury to the coronary artery rather than the heart muscle. The bleeding artery immediately washed the venom away, whereas injury to the heart muscle is difficult to debride and carries the risk of delayed necrosis and perforation (seen in a 12 year old boy in Queensland in 1989).

Tail and barb of a Yellow Stingray - Urolophus jamaicansis -- Paul Osmond


Stingrays - A Wadefisherman's (wade fisherman's) Nightmare

[The Backlash Cometh]

48. Steve: still educating us in death about nature as he did in life.

[Tinksrival]

59. Thanks for this post tiptoe.

I was able to answer my daughters questions with your help. I think Steve would approve.
He had such passion. We are going to watch his movie this afternoon.

[T Town Jake]

26. Well, that just sucks.

(n/t).

[Rainscents]

27. OMG... This is so sad.

:cry: :cry: :cry: RIP for Steve.

I watched show while back, birth of his first daughter and he was one proud father. I'll miss him very much.

[SeattleVet]

30. Crikey!

Well, someone HAD to say it!

Good bye, Steve - you'll be sorely missed. Thanks for all of your work with preserving habitat.

[Marrah_G]

32. So sad

I'm in tears as I type this. My kids and I are animal planet junkies and this just seems so unreal. What a sad sad loss for his famoly and friend. Poor Terri must be beside herself. I hope they continue on bringing the need to converve wildlands. Such a loss.

[shireen]

33. i really liked him too

His enthusiasm and passion was infectious. He probably did more for croc conservation than anyone. His show was a hoot, he always made me smile and laugh.

This is a huge loss for conservationist, nature lovers, and Steve Irwin fans. Our deepest sympathy to his dad, wife Terri, Bindi Sue, Bob, and the Australia Zoo family.

[beam me up scottie]

34. I'll never forget the first time I saw the Crocodile Hunter.

He was with a crew filming the damage done to some scrub after a fire.

Because of his nickname, I had expected a macho Dundee-style hunter who viewed animals as his opponents.

Instead, he gently picked up the dead and dying lizards, and, with tears in his eyes and emotion choking his voice, expressed his deep sadness for their fate.


RIP, Steve.

You done good.

[cboy4]

40. I remember that show also. I think he literally was running through

the flames to save the helpless little lizards and snakes.

I'm getting emotional thinking about his compassion. :cry:

[beam me up scottie]

42. Me too.

He was like a little kid, always curious, fearless.

A terrible loss, for all of us.

[MazeRat7]

35. Yes that sucks, but there is one positive note as I see it....

At least he was doing something he loved, something he had a passion for when the accident happened. Just think how many folks never get to chase their dream much less live it. I'm really sad this happened... but at least he was doing something he "wanted" to do....

Via Con Dios Steve...

MZr7

[Nutmegger]

36. :(

:(

[Hidden Stillness]

37. Just Learned This--A Total, Shocking Tragedy

I just learned of this about an hour ago, when CNN Headline News channel started running it across the bottom of the screen as a breaking news headline, confirmed by Australian media. I was totally shocked, and it took several readings of it before I absorbed it. I really liked Steve Irwin's genuine love for animals. This one was "beautiful," that one was "a beauty," just a true, enthusiastic appreciation for them all. I remember one wonderful episode of "The Crocodile Hunter" following the long illness and death of Irwin's beloved dog, of cancer, and another of the death of one of the animals at the Australian Zoo that the Irwin family has run for I think two generations, and when they buried the animal, Irwin cried, wept openly--I loved it, because I also know the love of animals. I know Teri and the rest of the family must be crushed and disbelieving, grieving, and I hope they recover from this shocking tragedy. I also wonder what will become of the management of the Zoo, as this was such a sudden loss. Steve Irwin was one of my favorite animal lovers and teachers, right up there with Jane Goodall. This shows you what death is--it is always so sudden; you never know.

[Faux pas]

38. To me he was a true hero. RIP Steve-o, you will be missed.

Peace and healing to his family. :cry:

[cboy4]

39. I am just completely stunned. Maybe it's because he seemed so

invincible handling black mambas and death adders and those massive salt water crocodiles.

He used to entrance me with his wondrous skill and captivating personality....I'm just sitting here in utter disbelief.

I've probably seen every Crocodile Hunter episode at least three or four times.

I guess, at least, he died doing something he loved, but it doesn't make it any easier to handle. How sad. :cry:

[FrenchieCat]

41. Very sad.....to see such a young man full of purpose go!

He will be missed! :cry:

[rumpel]

43. what a loss....

awful

[Kingshakabobo]

44. OMFG! Steve-O You will be missed. Via con Dios!

Prayers to your wife and babies.

[BigBearJohn]

45. I loved his enthusiasm for life. It was so contagious.

[Seen the light]

47. There really is something wrong with me

I don't know this man, yet I almost cried when I found out the news. Yet he is just one man out of billions. However, every life cut short like this is a tragedy. My regards to his family.

[cboy4]

49. I don't think there's anything wrong with you. We got to know him as

a compassionate human being who seemed to possess an unconditional love for animals and people.

Yes, one man out of billions. And even though he was a stranger, he was extraordinarily special if you ask me. :)

[LostinVA]

54. My SO is really upset, too

I keep on thinking of Bindi Sue freaking out when she finds out her Daddy is dead.

[YankeyMCC]

55. He was able to touch people through the screen

You may not know him personally but he still managed to touch your life and it's perfectly understandable to mourn the loss of that active touch.

We'll still have the memories of that touch and of course nearly endless footage anytime we want to revisit the images and sounds that created that touch.

He was a very successful man, no matter what he may have been like as a real individual, because he managed to touch so many.

[Dutch]

50. Very sad.

Great guy.

[WernhamHogg]

52. This is sad, sad, sad, SAD news, but

This is awful news, but am I the only one who is not really surprised by the news? To be totally honest I had a bad feeling that we would be seeing this headline sooner or later. I remember watching his show a few times when he was bitten/stung by an animal which could have led to his death. He really had guts to do most of the things that he did and I believe he did a great service by educating so many people about animals. I always admired how passionate he was about all the creatures of the world. I feel terrible for his family and my heart goes out to them. It's a very sad day :cry:

[Skittles]

53. well

I had always guessed he would die in some kind of strange "accident" but I thought he'd be older, that he would not slow down with age and it woulc catch up with him

[DarkTirade]

56. All I can say to that is...

Crikey.

[distantearlywarning]

57. This is a great loss.

The man obviously loved animals, and he spent everything he had in life trying to help them by educating others. I never failed to be impressed every time I watched his show by his sincere compassion and love for the little creatures that live with us on this earth.

He was a terrific guy. I was sad this morning when I read about his passing.

[smoogatz]

58. Bound to happen.

The guy had an evident death wish. God only knows what he did to provoke that stingray, which was only trying to protect itself. Sorry if I sound a little harsh, but I've always thought Irwin was a little off his nut.

[ochazuke]

62. True, but...

His death from a sting ray was a long-shot. He always seemed on the verge of being bitten by a snake or something, but this ray was just on the sea floor several feet below when it backed up and the rapier-like stinger went right through his heart.

[smoogatz]

63. That's what they say.

Don't they usually only attack like that when they feel threatened?

[Recovered Repug]

60. This sucks.

Of all the animals that he dealt with, who'd have thought that he'd be killed by a stingray.

[ochazuke]

61. His enviro-enthusiasm was great and so needed.

I'm sure that he turned lots of kids on to the nature and animals that modern civilization has severed them from.

And now he's gone.

Yeah. Crikey :'(

[Deja Q]

64. He had his good points and his bad.

I elaborated on both, separately, in the Lounge.

Ultimately, he's human. And not an entirely bad one, but he's a celebrity like any other.

And he died doing what he loved: annoying exotic animals, who would probably tell him "bugger off" if they knew how to speak English.

[stepnw1f]

65. damn (nt)

[farmboxer]

66. I've been very depressed since I first heard the news.

Mother Earth needs him. He was a very good human being who cared for our planet and all it's creatures.

[IChing]

67. Mother Earth needs you now for the neo-con

animal is out of control and is wrecking this nation and the world.