Oh no...

[tansyrak]

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,20349892-952,00.html

Steve Irwin is dead.

I think everyone expected him to be killed one day, but this is still a bit of a shock.

Comments

[cyrrus25]

Oh man..

I was never really a huge fan of his method of "environmental education", but I always thought he was at least attempting to do some good. I'm actually really rather depressed that he died, which is kinda surprising for me.

I think maybe it's that he -was- killed on the job. Everyone's going to be "I told you so"-ing for the rest of our lifetimes. It makes me sad. I think I'd have liked to see him defy that.

Mostly, I feel very sorry for his family. I can identify with them very strongly, having lived a somewhat similar crisis. I'll be thinking of them during all the media hype more than anything else.

[tansyrak]

Yes, I never really paid too much attention to his antics but in trying to confirm this story (a friend sent me it before it broke in the U.S.) I came across some of the backlash against him in the herpetological community regarding his unsafe behavior. What these people don't seem to understand is that his outrageousness was precisely what made him popular, and while he may not have had the formal education they deemed appropriate, he knew how to get people's attention- a crucial part of conservation and something that academia hasn't been able to do. And he used that celebrity to spread his message of environmentalism to people who would have otherwise not cared. I'm sure that there will be a lot of "I told you so's" and that the more vindictive will even express happiness over his death- they may even hail it a "triumph" of "proper science"- but I think that we've all lost more than we realize

[chikori]

I was never quite a bit fan of his, I guess that's because I'm deathly afraid of reptiles and such. ^^; However, it really is a pity to see him go. As I mentioned in another friend's journal, in a world where there are so many people who want to eliminate, kill, destroy these animals and their habitats, it's wonderful to see someone who want to stand up for them, love them, and do something for them. It's funny... I thought of getting a stuffed alligator/crocodile today... Maybe I will go get one

[tansyrak]

Hmm... I think I might go out and get a stuffed crocodile, as well- I'll name it Steve.

[rainbow_gash]

Your comment here makes me feel all warm and gooey inside.

Contrary to popular opinion, this is a good thing.

Oh, and hi.

[tansyrak]

Uh, thanks.

Oh, and hi back.