Irwin defends croc feeding stunt (says it was important to teach kids about danger)

The Age ^ | Jan 3, 2004

[hotpotato]

Crocodile hunter Steve Irwin has defended his decision to hold his baby son while feeding a crocodile, saying it was important to teach kids about danger.

Friday's incident at Mr Irwin's Australia Zoo on the Sunshine Coast made headlines internationally and prompted comparisons with Michael Jackson's notorious dangling of his baby over a balcony.

Mr Irwin also earned a reprimand from Queensland's Department of Family Services.

At a media conference outside the zoo and flanked by his father Bob, wife Terri and daughter Bindi, Mr Irwin claimed he was hurt by the allegations of child neglect.

"I am hurt. I am as hurt as I get," he told reporters.

"But this must be happening for a reason. And I sincerely believe that Bindi is the most well-rounded kid her age, and by crikey, is the most croc savvy kid her age in the world.

"If I had the time again maybe I would do it differently.

"But it's all about perceived danger ... I was in complete control.

"People say, `well what if you had fallen?' But for that to take place a meteorite would have had to come out of the sky and hit Australia at 6.6 on the Richter scale like in Iran.

"Bindi is very croc savvy and we live in crocodile territory so they (the children) have to be croc savvy."

Scores of Queenslanders rang the Families Department crisis care hotline on Friday night after the footage appeared on the nightly news.

But police and the state government said no charges would be laid.

"Steve is a great Queenslander and ambassador for our state. However, we did have concerns with the footage from last night," acting Premier Terry Mackenroth said.

"The manager of Crisis Care and the Department of Family Services spoke with Steve last night and told him that we had several complaints and staff from the Department of Family Services had concerns with the footage.

"They asked him not to repeat the performance and while he denied he had endangered his child, he reassured us he would not do it again."

[OldFriend]

He gets the Siegried & Roy award for utter stupidity.

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[Slings and Arrows]

JD followup ping!

[hotpotato]

No kidding.

[beaversmom]

saying it was important to teach kids about danger

I hope that one month old learned something from his lesson. Stay away from DAD!

Actually Steve Irwin seems like a good guy, and I'm sure he did have as close to complete control as you can get but it just doesn't look good to have a baby out there while you are feeding a hungry croc.

It's one thing to do a show and let people think you are putting your own life in danger. It's another thing to bring the kids into the act. He didn't have very good judgement bringing the baby out there.

Tonight on the news they had a quote from Terri, the wife. She said something to the affect--"It was a great sensory experience for him. He really dug it!"

If that had been my baby I would have gone nuts. Of course, I probably wouldn't be married to a Croc Hunter in the first place. The guy named his daughter, Bindy, after a croc for goodness sake!

[beaversmom]

I think my six year old son was a little disappointed to hear
about all the negative attention Irwin is getting. He really likes the guy.

[Drammach]

Did the Croc Hunter have a Michael Jackson Moment?

Sure looks like it..
Just glad it didn't turn out bad..
Crocodiles bite..
Nothing personal
It's in their nature..

[hotpotato]

As Rush would say... "A croc will do what a croc will do."

[RIGHT IN LAS VEGAS]

Stop that!

Siegfried and Roy never, and I mean NEVER, brought a child close to a tiger.

You can't bring anyone under 21 in a club that serves alcohol here in Las Vegas.

Now if it was a "juicie" flat next to Fashion Show Mall's "Cloud," that would be different!

Roy would say that shopping is OK!;)...or he used to think that

[RIGHT IN LAS VEGAS]

I am hurt, I am as hurt as I get!

He ain't felt hurt until he loses a hind-quarter!

[GeronL]

It was dumb dumb dumb dumb.

Crikey! what was he thinking?

[GeronL]

Did the Croc Hunter have a Michael Jackson Moment?

Jackson put the baby over the railing for how long?? 2 seconds?? Steve's act lasted a lot longer

[bikerman]

cant be any worse than people who drive around with their kids not buckled in their car seats or who let their kids play on streets.different strokes for different folks down their kids better learn fast about croc`s just as kids here in florida swimming in lakes better learn about gators.

[tkathy]

I think the Stockholm Syndrome overtakes these fools who try to make crocs, bears, etc., into cuddley pets.

[RIGHT IN LAS VEGAS]

Nice mouthful, especially about the "Lakes" in Florida!

Personally I'm a Ducati M-900 Monster fan!

I surfed by a sit-com called American Chopper once.....

Yawn!

I don't think that it will be around much longer......do you?

[RexRichard]

What a twit! I see flashes of his show from time to time as I am channel surfing. It's always the same...needless endangerment. That's fine for those who are interested, just not for me. This is over the top, however.

[Quilla]

My husband in an outdoorsman who has an uncanny ability to establish rapport with animals. He just saw this clip for the first time and stated that Irwin's actions were insanity and considered it worse than Jackson's dangling baby show.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

Fox just showed the clip. The girl on fox asked what is
the name of the boy.
Someone said food.
After feeding the crock he then put the child on the
ground and acted like the 3 month old child was walking.

[arjay]

I suppose I must be the only one who sees little wrong in what Irwin did.

He is from an entirely different culture than we. I suspect his father did the same kind of thing when Irwin was a child in order to get him used to dealing with crocs. Irwin spends his life around dangerous animals and he wants his children to be both comfortable and aware of the animals and their dangers.

He may have been wrong in what he did. I am not ready to pass judgment.

I do, however, give him the benefit of the doubt. He knows exactly what he is doing. He was as much in control as any human can be (which is not total control).

He probably should not have done it, but I certainly don't think it was the "Michael Jackson" type of things people are making it out to be.