It's a sad day for all who care about nature. My respects.
Australian wildlife documentary maker Steve Irwin should have known better than to swim above the stingray whose poison-laced barb flicked up, stabbed him through the heart and took his life almost instantly during an underwater filming sequence ...
http://news.google.com/?ncl=http://people....Irwin&hl=en
Full Version: Crocodile Hunter Dies at 44
Too soon?
R.I.P. Steve.
What can i say, i was truly sad about it, i loved his shows and his whole persona.
I even wrote a comment here, http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/you..._crocodile_man/
I don't find Stingray jokes offensive now or anything, but on the other hand i also can't really laugh about them.
I even wrote a comment here, http://blogs.theaustralian.news.com.au/you..._crocodile_man/
I don't find Stingray jokes offensive now or anything, but on the other hand i also can't really laugh about them.
its amazing how much he was admired by Australians. Thousands of people were going to the Australia zoo, wich steve started to pay their respect. The outer wall is now completely covered in flowers. Should never of happened.
Well... I never liked the man.
I've seem quite a few shows of his until I had to give up on him. In his shows he harassed dangerous animals constantly. This harassment is which bothered me me the most. They were also invariably very superficial programs. They fit in into today's media circus.
I like nature programmes. More precisely the ones that intend to be informative and yet attempt to interfere with the wildlife as little as possible. David Attenborough of BBC is a fine if not the best example of this. Very informative programmes that respect animals.
Triza
I've seem quite a few shows of his until I had to give up on him. In his shows he harassed dangerous animals constantly. This harassment is which bothered me me the most. They were also invariably very superficial programs. They fit in into today's media circus.
I like nature programmes. More precisely the ones that intend to be informative and yet attempt to interfere with the wildlife as little as possible. David Attenborough of BBC is a fine if not the best example of this. Very informative programmes that respect animals.
Triza
QUOTE(Triza @ Sep 7 2006, 08:33) 
I've seem quite a few shows of his until I had to give up on him. In his shows he harassed dangerous animals constantly. This harassment is which bothered me me the most. They were also invariably very superficial programs. They fit in into today's media circus.
If you talk about the crocs, he didn't harass them, he caught them and relocated them. For instance, if somebody called about a croc on their land, instead of letting them hunt and shoot it, he went out and relocated it. He didn't believe in anaesthetisation, cause that runs the risk of killing the animal, so he used people power; securing the upper jaw, jumping on it to hold it down, then blindfolding it to calm it down and securing the whole jaw.
Also, it was his philosophy to be up close with the animals to bring them into people's hearts. See his interview on "Enough Rope" from 2003 (can be found online), where IIRC he even makes a remark about David Attenborough.
About the circus thing, well, that was his persona, passionate through and through. On- or off-camera, it doesn't matter. To quote Jack Hanna:
"A lot of people in this business, you know, they do their television and they're a different person afterwards. But, Steve, when he woke up he was the same person he was until he went to bed and that's what impressed all of us so much. And his love for his family and his wildlife and his conservation message was unbelievable.
Whether again these folks today were talking about agree and disagree whatever it might be the bottom line is he'll be remembered for the enthusiasm and what he cared about."
can't agree more with you CiTay, he was really a people that loved animals, and that could die for them ... (in fact he did) ... as you said, all the harassment, if any, was with the idea of making people understand the animals. I loved his show, and his personality.
Steve Irwin saved the lives of many animals both personally and by raising awareness, so that others would be less likely to kill indiscriminately.
I think pissing off a few snakes was well worth it.
Bloody entertaining too!
I was very saddened by his death. His enthusiasm and passion were infectious.
When I first saw Steve Irwin (a programme about the top ten deadliest snakes in the world) I thought he would never make it to old age. After a while you began to think he was indestructable. It's a shame that he was caught out by such a freakish accident.
I think pissing off a few snakes was well worth it.
Bloody entertaining too!
I was very saddened by his death. His enthusiasm and passion were infectious.
When I first saw Steve Irwin (a programme about the top ten deadliest snakes in the world) I thought he would never make it to old age. After a while you began to think he was indestructable. It's a shame that he was caught out by such a freakish accident.
All I remember that it was not just crocs. I distinctly remember a program when he travelled in the Australian outback and picked up and played with all kinds of snakes and other animals he could find. I refute the kind of programmes he created. At least in this respect he was a very bad role model. But I cannot comment on his other achievements.
Triza
Triza
QUOTE(Triza @ Sep 7 2006, 19:04)
All I remember that it was not just crocs. I distinctly remember a program when he travelled in the Australian outback and picked up and played with all kinds of snakes and other animals he could find. I refute the kind of programmes he created. At least in this respect he was a very bad role model. But I cannot comment on his other achievements.
He was always very careful with the animals, and he didn't touch them more than a few minutes. Many times, he would pick up a snake, an move it from the road, where it would probably be killed by a car. I never so a snake or other animal dying after steve touching it.
QUOTE(Triza @ Sep 7 2006, 21:04)
All I remember that it was not just crocs. I distinctly remember a program when he travelled in the Australian outback and picked up and played with all kinds of snakes and other animals he could find. I refute the kind of programmes he created. At least in this respect he was a very bad role model. But I cannot comment on his other achievements.
Oh come on. At least watch an interview where he explains his motivation to handle animals up close as he does. He greatly contributed to people seeing snakes, crocs, spiders and so on as fascinating animals, and not as something you need to step upon, shoot, or otherwise kill. Before his show was shown all around the world, especially crocs were seen as ugly monsters, and most people who watched his shows have a deeper understanding of them and learned to appreciate them as animals. No animals were hurt by the way Steve handled them, yet millions upon millions of people were drawn into it on TV and could learn to respect and sometimes even love the animals they once feared.
QUOTE(CiTay @ Sep 7 2006, 23:24)
QUOTE(Triza @ Sep 7 2006, 21:04)
All I remember that it was not just crocs. I distinctly remember a program when he travelled in the Australian outback and picked up and played with all kinds of snakes and other animals he could find. I refute the kind of programmes he created. At least in this respect he was a very bad role model. But I cannot comment on his other achievements.
Oh come on. At least watch an interview where he explains his motivation to handle animals up close as he does. He greatly contributed to people seeing snakes, crocs, spiders and so on as fascinating animals, and not as something you need to step upon, shoot, or otherwise kill. Before his show was shown all around the world, especially crocs were seen as ugly monsters, and most people who watched his shows have a deeper understanding of them and learned to appreciate them as animals. No animals were hurt by the way Steve handled them, yet millions upon millions of people were drawn into it on TV and could learn to respect and sometimes even love the animals they once feared.
Look at his blooper tape on youtube and tell me no animals were hurt. Besides, people should fear snakes, crocs and spiders. They are not domestic animals are will eat you as soon as look at you.
QUOTE(Funkstar De Luxe @ Sep 8 2006, 21:30)
Look at his blooper tape on youtube and tell me no animals were hurt. Besides, people should fear snakes, crocs and spiders. They are not domestic animals are will eat you as soon as look at you.
You don't have to fear the animals, just respect them. You mean that the 2000+ kilograms croc? Yes, i see him screaming in pain.
Well. I think the way David Attenborough of BBC does nature programmes does more to teach people about animals and teach them to leave them alone when possible. I bet a lot of 14 year old messing with animals following Steve. I also bet my shirt on it that he was harassing that ray. Should he have filmed it from some distance this might not have happened.
I've also heard that once he was feeding a carcass to a croc while his baby son was on his other hand. I think this is telling. The Ozzy police cationed him verbally when visited him after this affair.
So I think we have to agree to disagree.
Triza
I've also heard that once he was feeding a carcass to a croc while his baby son was on his other hand. I think this is telling. The Ozzy police cationed him verbally when visited him after this affair.
So I think we have to agree to disagree.
Triza
couldn't disagree more.
QUOTE(Triza @ Sep 8 2006, 23:57)
I've also heard that once he was feeding a carcass to a croc while his baby son was on his other hand. I think this is telling. The Ozzy police cationed him verbally when visited him after this affair.
He was cleared of that. That camera was filming from a position behind the crocodile, with Steve standing in such way that you couldn't tell the difference between him and the croc from that angle. He talked about it on Larry King Live:
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0609/04/lkl.01.html
QUOTE
IRWIN: What happened? We organized a beautiful ceremony. The Buddhist nuns came to bless little tiny Bob, baby Bob I called him and all of my friends and family. We invited the media, which was no less than four cameras and three of those news crews and associated media and journalists. And some dignitaries, too, Australian dignitaries. Now this is a time in my life where life was good. I had been nominated for Australian of the year, riding this incredible great wave. And so steeped in family tradition, I got little Bob, and I feed this little crocodile. Then, you know, running down to the pond, you know, just having fun with my son like I do, whether it was in front of people or whether I do it on the carpet at home on the floor, which I do to this day. Four cameras at different angles, OK, the three news cameras, the first news camera, when it went to the news edit, they went, oh, it's a good news story, but it doesn't work, never showed it.
The second news camera went, it's a good news story, like Steve, they put it at the end of the show. That was the news I watched. I thought that was OK, good, whatever. And then the third news camera got this incredible stacked shot, it was fantastic. They stacked up the croc, me and baby Bob in the background so the crock looked very menacing and large. To tell you the truth when I saw that vision, I'm like wow, that looks dangerous.
KING: What do you mean stacked it up?
IRWIN: Stacked it up, when you have the camera filming something.
KING: They didn't do it deliberately?
IRWIN: No. It wasn't deliberately. They were very lucky.
KING: Made what happen?
IRWIN: They, out of those three news crews, they showed it at the head and saw this stacked vision and they're like, wow, this is great stuff! Bam! That was it. It just went.
KING: You mean Bob was never in danger?
IRWIN: Not once, ever never. The funny thing is I've been doing it with Bindi for like five odd years and I would never endanger my children.
KING: Are you saying the croc was not close to the baby?
IRWIN: No, nowhere near it.
KING: But by the camera angle it appeared close
IRWIN: Absolutely. My camera that was filming it and the other news camera's (unintelligible) the second film crew, they didn't even - they put it at the end of the news, good news. The other one didn't even show it. So this great stacked vision. Credit to them, credit to them, because that's -- it's pretty scary looking vision. So I made a huge mistake. I should have gone surfing that day. But I didn't, I wanted to show the world my beautiful baby.
KING: So when you went on the "Today Show" and apologized, what were you apologizing for?
IRWIN: I was apologizing for scaring people. That was never my intention. My intention was strictly and only to show people, here's my little baby boy. I would never endanger my son as you wouldn't yours nor any good father.
KING: Were you shocked at the criticism?
IRWIN: I wasn't just shocked, I was absolutely devastated. I was taken to the lowest point of my entire life. The Irwin family steeped in tradition. I was born on my mom's birthday. She died in a car crash and from that moment on, we as a family gathered around each other, as you do when you lose someone very, very close to you and to have that take place was incredible.
The interesting thing was that no one knows and now you're about to know, is that you can imagine, everyone who was involved, every family person on earth was picking at it. The authorities came in, the relevant authorities came in. I did a thorough investigation, come in, please come into my life, come into my family, come into my house, have a look. They did a thorough investigation. There was absolutely no case. Bob was never in danger. You never hear about that, though.
KING: They didn't charge you with being a negligent father?
IRWIN: Absolutely not. In fact it was said by them and others that my children are the most well-rounded, educated and loving family they've ever met.
The second news camera went, it's a good news story, like Steve, they put it at the end of the show. That was the news I watched. I thought that was OK, good, whatever. And then the third news camera got this incredible stacked shot, it was fantastic. They stacked up the croc, me and baby Bob in the background so the crock looked very menacing and large. To tell you the truth when I saw that vision, I'm like wow, that looks dangerous.
KING: What do you mean stacked it up?
IRWIN: Stacked it up, when you have the camera filming something.
KING: They didn't do it deliberately?
IRWIN: No. It wasn't deliberately. They were very lucky.
KING: Made what happen?
IRWIN: They, out of those three news crews, they showed it at the head and saw this stacked vision and they're like, wow, this is great stuff! Bam! That was it. It just went.
KING: You mean Bob was never in danger?
IRWIN: Not once, ever never. The funny thing is I've been doing it with Bindi for like five odd years and I would never endanger my children.
KING: Are you saying the croc was not close to the baby?
IRWIN: No, nowhere near it.
KING: But by the camera angle it appeared close
IRWIN: Absolutely. My camera that was filming it and the other news camera's (unintelligible) the second film crew, they didn't even - they put it at the end of the news, good news. The other one didn't even show it. So this great stacked vision. Credit to them, credit to them, because that's -- it's pretty scary looking vision. So I made a huge mistake. I should have gone surfing that day. But I didn't, I wanted to show the world my beautiful baby.
KING: So when you went on the "Today Show" and apologized, what were you apologizing for?
IRWIN: I was apologizing for scaring people. That was never my intention. My intention was strictly and only to show people, here's my little baby boy. I would never endanger my son as you wouldn't yours nor any good father.
KING: Were you shocked at the criticism?
IRWIN: I wasn't just shocked, I was absolutely devastated. I was taken to the lowest point of my entire life. The Irwin family steeped in tradition. I was born on my mom's birthday. She died in a car crash and from that moment on, we as a family gathered around each other, as you do when you lose someone very, very close to you and to have that take place was incredible.
The interesting thing was that no one knows and now you're about to know, is that you can imagine, everyone who was involved, every family person on earth was picking at it. The authorities came in, the relevant authorities came in. I did a thorough investigation, come in, please come into my life, come into my family, come into my house, have a look. They did a thorough investigation. There was absolutely no case. Bob was never in danger. You never hear about that, though.
KING: They didn't charge you with being a negligent father?
IRWIN: Absolutely not. In fact it was said by them and others that my children are the most well-rounded, educated and loving family they've ever met.
P.S. Heh, i just found this comment,
QUOTE
I agree about Sir David Attenborough greatness, but the difference is how they handled reptiles. After watching Sir David Attenborough, if I found a snake in the back yard I would still chop off its head with a hoe. After watching Steve Irwin, I would think twice and maybe call someone to take it away. Steve changed the image of reptiles from nasty creatures that you kill on sight to animals that should be respected the same as the furry cute ones.
QUOTE
I agree about Sir David Attenborough greatness, but the difference is how they handled reptiles. After watching Sir David Attenborough, if I found a snake in the back yard I would still chop off its head with a hoe. After watching Steve Irwin, I would think twice and maybe call someone to take it away. Steve changed the image of reptiles from nasty creatures that you kill on sight to animals that should be respected the same as the furry cute ones.
I wonder what on earth prompted him to think that. David, like Steve, has/had nothing but respect for our planet and the animal kingdom. I find that statement pretty preposterous.
David Attenborough is the Wildlife Documentary don, hence the Sir status.
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