Sad...RIP Steve Irwin

[JoAnn L.]

He will be missed. Deepest Sympathy.

 

[BigDog]

Steve was incredible. He was born and bred a conservationalist, as was lucky enough to find a "shelia" with a similar passion. No, you wouldn't catch me doing any of the things he did with animals, but I wasn't raised as hard core conservationalist as he was. This man's passion was wildlife, and teaching others about wildlife.

I can see what BT and DQ is saying, but at the same time, he was way into this stuff already before he and Terri met. He and Terri were doing exactly what Steve's mum and dad did. She knew what she was getting in to, and I think that was part of the attraction for both of them. I guess it could be argued that Steve went too far, but I don't think it was actually pushing it too far as it was his exuberant, flambouyant personality. He knew when he was in a dangerous situation, and took precautions, but he still had to get his message out about that particular animal.

This was such a freak type of accident, going back 100 years. I think it was 17 fatalities from a ray sting in the last 100 years, yet people encounter the critters rather frequently. Even though he took what some consider big risks, he always seemed to make the necessary precautions. On the instances he may have not taken all precautions and had a close call, he said so and explained what would have been wiser. I also recall him saying many times that what he did was because he was a professional, and that others ought not try such things at home without the training and experience he had.

I hope the family is comforted in their loss. It seemed a pretty tight family, so I think Terri, Bindi, and Bob will be well surounded with loved ones. Steve's passion for animals and conservation was only matched by his devotion to his family.

 

[buckytom]

Gotta disagree with Bucky and Drama Queen on this one.

If we follow your logic, there would be no all-volunteer military service, no undercover cops, no miners, no firemen, etc. etc.

what do you say to the guys who eat/drink too much and live a sedentary life but sell insurance (on commission) for a living? Aren't their families in just as much danger?

'bug, you forgot the bomb squad.
AND you've missed my point. all of those dangerous things you've mentioned do not involve unpredictable wild animals.
i realize that there are people who have families while they hold dangerous jobs. unfortunately, someone has to fight or work with the forces of nature (don't get me started with people who build on the shore, or on unstable cliffs).
my problem was his ridiculous statements of how he controlled the situation while he was essentially harrassing (albeit, often for a good reason) an unpredictable animal. something as bizarre as a stingray did him in. nature will always win, you can't go poking or teasing it for a thrill, even if it's being recorded for education and profit.

i totally respect this man's passion for what he did, and his accomplishments.
but he forgot he was a dad. that comes first. he was selfish.
i've thought about this long and hard over the past two years since i've become one.

 

[lulu]

'mentioned do not involve unpredictable wild animals.
i realize that there are people who have families while they hold dangerous jobs. unfortunately, someone has to fight or work with the forces of nature (don't get me started with people who build on the shore, or on unstable cliffs)........

i totally respect this man's passion for what he did, and his accomplishments.
but he forgot he was a dad. that comes first. he was selfish.
i've thought about this long and hard over the past two years since i've become one.

I am, among other things an Equine Scientist. My research work has often taken me into fields of young freal horses who are fairly unpredictable, and definitely dangerous, but I am used to them, know how to "read" them and so I, possibly mistakenly, believe I am safer than the average (non horsey) person.

At my university and vet school we had signs everywhere, particularly in the stables, saying animals/horses are unpredictable animals. Never let your guard down. One particularly gruesome stable manager drove home this point when some young students behaved in what she felt to be an irresponsible way by putting up a list of people she knew in the horse world who had been injured, permantly incapacitated or died in horse realted accidents.

By that reasoning a riding teacher is putting him/herself in danger and should stop when they become a parent. Let alone stable lads and lasses on a rqacing yard or stud. In fact, I gave my neices riding lessons from when they were little, on a "safe" pony so I even put them in the line of danger. Pehaps I am wrong, but I think equal or greater to this risk they gained something.

I know what you are saying Bucky, but life is risk and education is risk management. I think his upbringing made him fairly well educated. In a developed area of a developed country, doing what he did seemed pretty terrifying. I am getting to grips with driving here in Italy, which statistically has to be more dangerous (I am not a 100% sure, but I think I read that RTAs are the single biggest cause of death in Italian males under 50). I am going to do it, despite it being dangerous, even if I become a parent while I am here.

Danger is relative to the person dealing with the danger: both the character of the person and the training.

 

[buckytom]

point well taken lulu. there certainly are some grey areas.
have you ever taught anyone that they were in complete control because of their upbringing and education?

i'd still take on a feral horse before a predator twice my size with my baby and food in my hands.

 

[lulu]

point well taken lulu. there certainly are some grey areas.
have you ever taught anyone that they were in complete control because of their upbringing and education?

No. I regard training as risk management, and I believe there is never complete control of any situation. If you think there is, thats when you are in danger of losing it. On a horse, in a job, in a relationship......

i'd still take on a feral horse before a predator twice my size with my baby and food in my hands.

Personally, me too!

 

[attie]

"He was born and bred a conservationalist, as was lucky enough to find a "shelia" with a similar passion."

Big Dog, his "shelia" is a true blue American lady and a very nice person. It was a million to one accident and had the spike not hit his heart he would have survived. The Ray just spooked and took off flicking its tail as they all do, Steves shadow could have done that.

Amazing amount of publicity has followed, his web site and several news sites went down from overload. Yahoo recorded a million hits that day about him, at one stage 650 hits a second.

He was making a documentry for his daughter to show on the Discovery channel next year. Her and her Mother were working on it also.

 

[BigDog]

"He was born and bred a conservationalist, as was lucky enough to find a "shelia" with a similar passion."

Big Dog, his "shelia" is a true blue American lady and a very nice person. It was a million to one accident and had the spike not hit his heart he would have survived. The Ray just spooked and took off flicking its tail as they all do, Steves shadow could have done that.

I know. I did a bit of research on Terri. I said "sheila" as that was Steve's frequently used term for a female (an Aussie thing, maybe?). Regardless, they shared the same passion, and knew what they were getting into. I mean no disrespect to Steve or Terri. I know she's from Eugene, Oregon. It's a cool thing that they met and married because it's not often you find someone with the exuberant passion that Steve had, let alone someone that can "put up with it" for a lifetime.

 

[attie]

I know. I did a bit of research on Terri. I said "sheila" as that was Steve's frequently used term for a female (an Aussie thing, maybe?). Regardless, they shared the same passion, and knew what they were getting into. I mean no disrespect to Steve or Terri. I know she's from Eugene, Oregon. It's a cool thing that they met and married because it's not often you find someone with the exuberant passion that Steve had, let alone someone that can "put up with it" for a lifetime.

True BD, we're probably the only country where us "blokes" call our women "sheilas" I didn't know exactly where she came from so thanks for that.
That Pommie tart [sheila] Germaine Greer, the ultimate conservationist, has thrown her 2 bob's worth in and upset a lot of people. I remember her when she lived here and was leading the preserve everything group. She drove in to a rainforest near my home town, claimed she saw an endangered tree, and had a whole timber milling industry closed down. She did have some clout at that time but now lives in England, thankfully.

 

[jpmcgrew]

I just dont understand how he could have let him self go over the sting ray where it could strike knowing how they operate.

 

[kitchenelf]

I just dont understand how he could have let him self go over the sting ray where it could strike knowing how they operate.

Have you ever been scuba diving? They go where they want to go before you have a chance to react. I don't think he had that much control over the situation. If they want to attack they will and there's nothing you can do about it - there's no place to hide