Posted on 01/03/2004 12:38:07 AM PST by hotpotato
On Thursday night I was watching a program showing another Australian crocodile expert who was hand feeding a croc' he had owned for a long, long time and he too was in complete control. However the croc' didn't seem to realize who was controlling who and when it was offered a piece of chicken it turned sideways and bit the trainer on the foot.
As long as he brings cash to the Aussies I guess they don't mind what he does. No charges will be filed. How pathetic.
But first, we all join hands and sing kumbaya!
*Rolling my eyes*
Who's comparing? I am posting a photo.
Irwin's American wife, Terri, had handed the baby over to Irwin in the enclosure and giggled at the spectacle. "It was a wonderful sensory experience for him (the baby). He dug it," she said.
I conclude from her comment that she's from Marin County.
I agree - he undoubtedly he is. He seems fearless at times - but it is a baby he is handling in the photo - not an animal.
Here's another photo.
These type of people are often victims of their own delusional "control." A world-renowned shark expert took Nigel (what's his name) into the water seething with bull sharks with the same attitude as Irwin stating he had nothing to fear. Noted shark expert, Dr. Erich Ritter, has said that he has never been bitten by a shark because he understands shark behavior." All of a sudden, one of them grabbed Ritter and took off a meaty portion of his leg (calf muscle). Dr. Sam Gruber, a shark expert from the University of Miami said in a Reuters news story "He (Ritter) wants to impress people that he can control these sharks and they will never bite him."
Not too long ago, California wildlife author and "bear expert" Timothy Treadwell, got himself and his female companion killed and eaten by a bear. He too believed he was in control. He would ease up close to the bears chanting "I love you" in a high pitched voice and sing to them. He also gave them names. A self-proclaimed eco-warrior, he attracted something of a cult following too. Chuck Bartlebaugh of "Be Bear Aware,'' a national bear awareness campaign, called Treadwell one of the leaders of a group of people engaged in "a trend to promote getting close to bears to show they were not dangerous. Treadwell believed he could teach the public about bear safety.
The world has no shortage of "animal experts in control of the situatation" who are food waiting to happen.
Yup. And he had a "bloopers" tv program which shows him finding himself in unanticipated situations with animals he's feeding... such as being bitten by said animals.
It's one thing when he puts his own life on the line or others who are supposed to be adult enough to decide for themselves. It was completely different to be holding a tiny infant while putting himself at risk. He was being arrogant and careless as well as incredibly stupid. And that baby's mother needs to have her head examined.
Defiant: "I am not an irresponsible parent," said croc hunter Steve Irwin, pictured with his daughter Bindi yesterday. Picture: Jamie Hanson
Croc Hunter snaps back
By CHRIS TINKLER and FRANCES WHITING
04jan04
A DISTRAUGHT Steve Irwin is considering withdrawing from
public life, after being condemned across the world for holding his baby boy within reach of a crocodile.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Herald Sun last
night, the tearful Crocodile Hunter said he and his
family were "absolutely devastated".
The emotional outburst comes after a roller-coaster two days for Mr Irwin and wife, Terri.
On Friday, Mr Irwin shocked the world by dangling baby Bob
inches from the jaws of a 4m crocodile, while feeding
the reptile a dead chicken in a live show at his
Sunshine Coast park.
The Queensland Families Department said it would examine
unedited tapes of Friday's incident for health
and safety breaches and Irwin received a
dressing down from police.
In an act of defiance, Mr Irwin and wife Terri sparked
fresh controversy by sending their daughter into a
crocodile enclosure with elephants and calling her "white
meat", in a live show yesterday.
Five-year-old Bindi was told to enter a new enclosure next
to a crocodile pen, then told to splash around to
encourage the reptiles to swim out.
Before a dumbfounded crowd, mum Terri said: "Flail around
and look helpless, that's the girl.
"The problem is if the crocodile comes in too quickly then
I have to buy new floaties because they always pop."
Bindi was then left alone in the water as three fully-grown
elephants entered, and stamped and trumpeted a metre
away.
A zoo official said a gate connecting the pool to the croc
pen was shut during the show, but patrons were less
than impressed.
Queenslander of the Year, Mr Irwin later stormed out of a
press conference outside the zoo during questioning
over his first stunt with one-month-old Bob.
But last night a visibly upset Mr Irwin poured out his
heart, saying he was simply carrying on his family
tradition and doing what his father had done for him.
"I am not a bad parent, I am not an irresponsible a parent,
I am not a bad father," Mr Irwin said.
"I would lay down my life for Bindi and Bob, so to hear
people say that it was a publicity stunt, that I'm just
like Michael Jackson dangling his baby over a balcony,
well, it just tears me up inside."
Mr Irwin said while he understood the distress the footage
may have caused, he also appealed for people to
understand that theirs was not "a normal family living
with a normal back yard".
"My parents raised me among crocs and snakes and some of
the most dangerous creatures in the world, right here
at Australia Zoo," he said.
"They exposed me to them from a very early age, not because
they were irresponsible, but because they loved me."
"I caught my first brown snake when I was four years old, Gmy first croc at eight.
"Now my kids are just like me, growing up at the zoo," Mr
Irwin said.
Terri said she had never seen her husband so upset.
Mr Irwin said he was "not sure" what he would do next,
saying he needed time alone with his family to "think things over".
"I know people will say, 'Well you invited us all into your
lives, and this is what happens when you do that' and
fair enough, I did invite the whole world into our
lives, into our family.
"But I do that to spread the word about wildlife, about our
passion for wildlife.
"Now I'm really questioning if that's the right way to go."
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