Steve Irwin died!
Steve Irwin, the world-famous "Crocodile Hunter" died today of a stingray attack. I just found this out on the News thingy on my google/gmail toolbar. I'm copying and pasting at least 3 articles onto this blog:
From the NYtimes:
Steve Irwin, the khaki-clad wildlife stalker who won global fame for his televised death-defying crocodile stunts and whose booming voice made “Crikey!” in a ripe Australian accent an international catchword, was killed today by a stingray while filming a documentary at the Great Barrier Reef off Australia’s northeast coast.
He was 44, and witnesses said he appeared to have died from cardiac arrest following the stingray attack.
Mr. Irwin was diving at the reef to film segments for a television show, “The Ocean’s Deadliest.” Witnesses on Mr. Irwin’s boat, “Croc One,” and on a nearby diving vessel said that when Mr. Irwin came close to a stingray, its barb pierced his chest and lodged in his heart.
In an interview with reporters in Australia, Prime Minister John Howard termed the death “a huge loss to Australia,” adding that Mr. Irwin “was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. He brought joy and entertainment and excitement to millions of people.”
Mr. Irwin’s television shows, including “The Crocodile Hunter,” appeared in more than 100 countries on cable television, and he was an ebullient staple of American chat shows ranging from “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” to “Live With Regis and Kelly.” He customarily appeared in his trademark boots and khaki shorts and shirt, commenting volubly on animal conservation and showing clips of his fearless animal exploits, which included leaping on the backs of crocodiles, wrestling with boas and mastering poisonous snakes and spiders.
Though he had no scientific degree, and his theatrics and hyperbole were criticized by some scientists, “I think he could be considered a biologist rather than just a television personality,” said Dr. Leo Smith, an expert on venomous fishes in the department of ichthyology at the American Museum of Natural History. “He was knowledgeable and seemed to care passionately about wildlife. He took a very outgoing approach that made people less fearful of sharks and other mean things out there.”
Mr. Irwin’s death, Dr. Smith said, “is depressing, because the last thing you want is for the guy who says things are safe to be killed.”
But Mr. Irwin was widely criticized in 2004 for feeding a snapping crocodile inside a pen while holding his infant son Robert in one arm. He defended his action, saying he was in firm control of both the child and the crocodile, and was never charged with endangering his son’s welfare.
And while filming a documentary in Antarctica later that year, Mr. Irwin ran afoul of some environmentalists for coming too close to humpback whales, seals and penguins. Australian environmental officials did not press charges after an investigation.
Though Mr. Irwin was accustomed to confronting dangerous animals, deaths from ray attacks are unusual, Dr. Smith said. “On an average there are only one or two fatalities a year worldwide.”
Dr. Smith said there are approximately 120 known ray species and four families of venomous stinging rays. At the base of the tail is a spine or barb connected to a venom gland; in an attack, the spike and gland may be broken off and can remain in the wound. The stingray venom contains toxic proteins, and most stingray attacks pose risk from shock, infection and the venom’s toxicity, he said.
Most deaths are caused by heart injuries or blood loss. “The puncture alone could have done it,” Dr. Smith said of the attack on Mr. Irwin, “but the venoms do have major cardiac effects.”
Mr. Irwin spent his childhood in Queensland, Australia, where his parents operated a wildlife park; he grew up with wild animals, including crocodiles, which he trapped and moved from populous areas.
Mr. Irwin met his American-born wife, Terri, when she was vacationing in Australia in 1991. Film from their honeymoon in the wild - trapping crocodiles - was used in creating a documentary. She became his business partner, and - styled as the “Crocodile Huntress” - she was an on-screen co-star in his television shows and in a 2002 feature film, “The Crocodile Hunters: Collision Course.”
Mr. Irwin also appeared in the 2001 film “Dr. Dolittle 2” with Eddie Murphy. His fame engendered books, action figures and interactive games, and his parents’ wildlife park, renamed Australia Zoo and expanded and developed by Mr. Irwin, became a popular tourist attraction.
He is survived by his wife, a daughter, Bindi Sue, and a son, Robert Clarence.
~*~
Another Article
Close friend explains the circumstances of Steve's death
Monday, 4 September 2006
John Stainton, good friend and producer of Steve Irwin's Film Company, Best Picture, held a press conference earlier today outlining the circumstances of Steve's untimely death and the events that surrounded it.
A very emotional Mr. Stainton said that he had lost a very dear and close friend.
"Today the world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest Dad's on the planet. He died doing what he loved best, he left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind, he would've said 'crocs rule'," he said.
Steve Irwin and his team had been filming a new documentary, titled Ocean's Deadliest, at Batt Reef off the coast of the resort town of Port Douglas, when the accident occurred.
"Steve decided to shoot a couple of segments for a new TV show that he's doing with his daughter Bindi and, with the cameramen, went out on to the reef at Batt Reef to do a little segment on stingrays. He came over the top of the stingray... and the stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart."
Mr. Stainton said the team responded quickly to get Steve back to his research vessel Croc 1 and then on to Low Isles where they were to meet an emergency rescue team.
"We were doing constant CPR trying to resuscitate him... when we got there it was probably ten to twelve and by twelve o'clock when the emergency crew arrived they pronounced him dead."
Mr. Stainton said that his personal and professional relationship with Steve had been one of many years.
"He was one of my best, closest friends, we've been together for 20 years, we've been shooting documentaries for fifteen years, I've never known a more professional man in my life and a more passionate person on wildlife and conservation issues."
Mr. Stainton believes that the poor weather experienced in the far north may have been, in part, the cause of Steve Irwin's death.
"One problem Steve had was that he couldn't sit still for five seconds and because the weather was bad today and for the last couple of days, he'd been like a caged lion because he hadn't really been able to do anything too much and he said 'look I might just go off and shoot some segments'... anything that would keep him moving and his adrenaline going and that's what happened... and the next thing I heard on the radio was that there was a medical emergency and the little dinghy was bringing him back with the crew... everyone tried absolutely tirelessly to revive him, to keep him alive."
~*~
This is all rather distressing... I mean, I used to do Crocodile Hunter impersonations of him. Bah. Anyway, thought I would pass the news along.
Photo Credit: All from NYTimes article.
From the NYtimes:
Steve Irwin, the khaki-clad wildlife stalker who won global fame for his televised death-defying crocodile stunts and whose booming voice made “Crikey!” in a ripe Australian accent an international catchword, was killed today by a stingray while filming a documentary at the Great Barrier Reef off Australia’s northeast coast.
He was 44, and witnesses said he appeared to have died from cardiac arrest following the stingray attack.
Mr. Irwin was diving at the reef to film segments for a television show, “The Ocean’s Deadliest.” Witnesses on Mr. Irwin’s boat, “Croc One,” and on a nearby diving vessel said that when Mr. Irwin came close to a stingray, its barb pierced his chest and lodged in his heart.
In an interview with reporters in Australia, Prime Minister John Howard termed the death “a huge loss to Australia,” adding that Mr. Irwin “was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. He brought joy and entertainment and excitement to millions of people.”
Mr. Irwin’s television shows, including “The Crocodile Hunter,” appeared in more than 100 countries on cable television, and he was an ebullient staple of American chat shows ranging from “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” to “Live With Regis and Kelly.” He customarily appeared in his trademark boots and khaki shorts and shirt, commenting volubly on animal conservation and showing clips of his fearless animal exploits, which included leaping on the backs of crocodiles, wrestling with boas and mastering poisonous snakes and spiders.
Though he had no scientific degree, and his theatrics and hyperbole were criticized by some scientists, “I think he could be considered a biologist rather than just a television personality,” said Dr. Leo Smith, an expert on venomous fishes in the department of ichthyology at the American Museum of Natural History. “He was knowledgeable and seemed to care passionately about wildlife. He took a very outgoing approach that made people less fearful of sharks and other mean things out there.”
Mr. Irwin’s death, Dr. Smith said, “is depressing, because the last thing you want is for the guy who says things are safe to be killed.”
But Mr. Irwin was widely criticized in 2004 for feeding a snapping crocodile inside a pen while holding his infant son Robert in one arm. He defended his action, saying he was in firm control of both the child and the crocodile, and was never charged with endangering his son’s welfare.
And while filming a documentary in Antarctica later that year, Mr. Irwin ran afoul of some environmentalists for coming too close to humpback whales, seals and penguins. Australian environmental officials did not press charges after an investigation.
Though Mr. Irwin was accustomed to confronting dangerous animals, deaths from ray attacks are unusual, Dr. Smith said. “On an average there are only one or two fatalities a year worldwide.”
Dr. Smith said there are approximately 120 known ray species and four families of venomous stinging rays. At the base of the tail is a spine or barb connected to a venom gland; in an attack, the spike and gland may be broken off and can remain in the wound. The stingray venom contains toxic proteins, and most stingray attacks pose risk from shock, infection and the venom’s toxicity, he said.
Most deaths are caused by heart injuries or blood loss. “The puncture alone could have done it,” Dr. Smith said of the attack on Mr. Irwin, “but the venoms do have major cardiac effects.”
Mr. Irwin spent his childhood in Queensland, Australia, where his parents operated a wildlife park; he grew up with wild animals, including crocodiles, which he trapped and moved from populous areas.
Mr. Irwin met his American-born wife, Terri, when she was vacationing in Australia in 1991. Film from their honeymoon in the wild - trapping crocodiles - was used in creating a documentary. She became his business partner, and - styled as the “Crocodile Huntress” - she was an on-screen co-star in his television shows and in a 2002 feature film, “The Crocodile Hunters: Collision Course.”
Mr. Irwin also appeared in the 2001 film “Dr. Dolittle 2” with Eddie Murphy. His fame engendered books, action figures and interactive games, and his parents’ wildlife park, renamed Australia Zoo and expanded and developed by Mr. Irwin, became a popular tourist attraction.
He is survived by his wife, a daughter, Bindi Sue, and a son, Robert Clarence.
~*~
Another Article
Close friend explains the circumstances of Steve's death
Monday, 4 September 2006
John Stainton, good friend and producer of Steve Irwin's Film Company, Best Picture, held a press conference earlier today outlining the circumstances of Steve's untimely death and the events that surrounded it.
A very emotional Mr. Stainton said that he had lost a very dear and close friend.
"Today the world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest Dad's on the planet. He died doing what he loved best, he left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind, he would've said 'crocs rule'," he said.
Steve Irwin and his team had been filming a new documentary, titled Ocean's Deadliest, at Batt Reef off the coast of the resort town of Port Douglas, when the accident occurred.
"Steve decided to shoot a couple of segments for a new TV show that he's doing with his daughter Bindi and, with the cameramen, went out on to the reef at Batt Reef to do a little segment on stingrays. He came over the top of the stingray... and the stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart."
Mr. Stainton said the team responded quickly to get Steve back to his research vessel Croc 1 and then on to Low Isles where they were to meet an emergency rescue team.
"We were doing constant CPR trying to resuscitate him... when we got there it was probably ten to twelve and by twelve o'clock when the emergency crew arrived they pronounced him dead."
Mr. Stainton said that his personal and professional relationship with Steve had been one of many years.
"He was one of my best, closest friends, we've been together for 20 years, we've been shooting documentaries for fifteen years, I've never known a more professional man in my life and a more passionate person on wildlife and conservation issues."
Mr. Stainton believes that the poor weather experienced in the far north may have been, in part, the cause of Steve Irwin's death.
"One problem Steve had was that he couldn't sit still for five seconds and because the weather was bad today and for the last couple of days, he'd been like a caged lion because he hadn't really been able to do anything too much and he said 'look I might just go off and shoot some segments'... anything that would keep him moving and his adrenaline going and that's what happened... and the next thing I heard on the radio was that there was a medical emergency and the little dinghy was bringing him back with the crew... everyone tried absolutely tirelessly to revive him, to keep him alive."
~*~
This is all rather distressing... I mean, I used to do Crocodile Hunter impersonations of him. Bah. Anyway, thought I would pass the news along.
Photo Credit: All from NYTimes article.