Posted on 09/04/2006 10:25:18 AM PDT by veronica
stingray barb through the chest - was a victim of 'voyeuristic wildlife TV', fellow experts said today.
As tributes poured in for the quirky 44-year-old, survival expert Ray Mears said his death was a "sobering lesson".
Mears said the Australian's death was a tragedy and his heart went out to his family.
But he added that it proved "some things in nature should be left alone".
He said: "He clearly took a lot of risks and television encouraged him to do that.
"It's a shame that television audiences need that to be attracted to wildlife.
"Dangerous animals, you leave them alone because they will defend themselves. Nature defends itself, it isn't all about hugging animals and going 'ahh'.
"It's wonderful to observe but you have to be sensible and maintain a safe distance."
Mears warned of the "gladiatorial" television of today and labelled some wildlife shows "voyeuristic".
He continued: "Television has become very gladiatorial and it's not healthy.
"The voyeurism we are seeing on television has a cost and it's that cost Steve Irwin's family are paying today."
David Bellamy called him "one of the great showmen and conservationists" and wildlife expert Mark O'Shea said it would leave an "immense hole" in the worlds of conservation and television.
Irwin, 44, was filming an underwater sequence for a television series called Ocean's Deadliest on the remote Batt Reef off the north-east coast of Australia when he was killed by a stingray barb.
Crew members aboard Irwin's boat, Croc One, called emergency services in the nearest city, Cairns, and administered cardio pulmonary resuscitation techniques as they rushed the boat to nearby Low Isle to meet a rescue helicopter.
Medical staff pronounced Irwin dead at about noon local time (3am BST), the statement said. Friends say they believe he died instantly.
Those with Irwin said he was swimming in shallow water, snorkelling as his cameraman filmed large bull rays.
Irwin's death was only the third known stingray death in Australian waters, said shark and stingray expert Victoria Brims.
Wildlife experts said the normally passive creatures only sting in defence, striking with a bayonet-like barb when they feel threatened or are trodden on.
Irwin's body was flown to a morgue in Cairns, where stunned family and friends were gathering.
His American-born wife, Terri, was told of her husband's death while on a walking tour in Tasmania, and returned to the Sunshine Coast with her two children, eight-year-old daughter Bindi Sue and son Bob, who will be three in December.
Dr Bellamy called Irwin one of the "world's great conservationists and showmen" and admitted he cried on hearing the news this morning.
He said: "He was magic and for the world of conservation and natural history to lose him is very, very sad.
"Everyone said he imitated me but if I could be as good as him I would be very proud.
"I used to be castigated by people saying I was a showman because I made jokes but what good is it preaching to the converted?"
He continued: "The thing with Steve was he mixed damn good science with showbusiness and I don't know anyone else who did that.
"I'm quite sure all the crocs in Australia are smiling, not crocodile tears, because he made them famous.
"When I heard this morning I cried, the world really has lost a very, very important natural historian."
British zoologist O'Shea said Irwin's death would leave an "immense hole" in the worlds of conservation and television.
O'Shea, who has himself presented television programmes about dangerous reptiles, said Irwin had helped "pave the way" for other people working in the field.
He said: "Although we had different styles of working and I did not know him personally, I am actually completely shocked.
"It is going to leave an immense hole. What he has done for conservation in Australia is massive."
He said that although some "university professors" might have turned their noses up at the way presenters like Irwin portrayed reptiles, he had probably inspired many people to follow a future in conservation.
"A lot of people who now want to study biology and work with animals may not have considered it before they watched him on television," he said.
I don't recoginize the names of any of these experts. Did they do documentaries?
I don't recoginize the names of any of these experts. Did they do documentaries?
Liberals.. no class
What?
He took risks as part of what he loved doing. Victimization is not necessary.
He was the victim of a freak accident.
What a load of rubbish.
Apart from the fact that Irwin's actual death was pretty much a freak incident, does anyone really think he did the things he did solely for the cameras. The man died doing what he loved doing, he was a victim of no-one, and he packed more into his live than most who live to twice the age!
My 8 year old did not take this news well. Between him and Jeff Corwin, all she talks about is going into marine sciences when she grows up.......Of course I was of the same nature at that age and I didn't have a Steve Irwin or Jeff Corwin on TV.
I'd have to agree with that. Granted, Steve Irwin wasn't stupid like that guy who was killed by the bears he claims he was "protecting". But wild animals will protect themselves, if threatened, and they don't have the capacity to understand the motives of the humans in their territory.
I'm sorry for the guy, and his family.
But he was nuts.
A freak accident is when you trip over a crack in the sidewalk and bust your head open on a stop sign, or something spontaneously falls off a building and kills a passerby.
That would be the proper way to respond. The (liberal) press does not hesitate to strike out at any male demonstrating anything other then proper castrated katas. Most times, the (liberal) press digs deep to find a modicum of decency and responds appropriately in these circumstances.
By making the top half of the article an attack on his chosen profession, using Mears as an 'expert', the staff (cowards won't even name themselves) turns the opportunity into a hit piece. This would be no class.
We live in an age when animals have been elevated to a status that is anthropomorphic. Some people treat their animals as if they were their children. To wit, Roy of Seigfried and Roy. It's a dangerous denial of the nature of animals, particularly wild animals. I am sad about Steve Irwin. Yet to be very shocked at the turn of events is to have an unrealistic view of the animal kingdom.
My Dad died at 49 flying helicopters (which he loved doing).
Guess he was a 'victim' too.
My Mom, now 84, thinks my Dad should be envied...he died quickly doing what he loved instead of slowly losing his mind (which is my Mom's fate).
I don't believe in taking stupid risks - like petting grizzlies - but I'll be darned if I'm going to live my life on a couch for safety's sake!
How ridiculous. A stingray can sting you before you are even aware it's there. This was a freak accident. It's not like he was bit wrangling a venomous snake. How about the 12 yr old that was killed the same way, and other cases of people killed by stingray barbs to the torso?
Stopped reading after the word Victim.
Its pretty clear to me he enjoyed what he did
This is the perfect definition of Irony.
I feel bad for his wife and family. Godspeed Steve.
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