[Cheburashka]

This was really such a sad thing -- a one in a billion accident.
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I must disagree. The stingray was undoubtedly aiming for his center of mass, and hit it.

Animals are not plush toys with heartbeats - they act when they feel threatened and are often extremely dangerous, as in this case.

It is a shame he misread the response of this partcular one.

[DJ MacWoW]

I must disagree. The stingray was undoubtedly aiming for his center of mass, and hit it.

It is a shame he misread the response of this partcular one.

It's a shame that you posted without any facts.

Stingray - life of stingray fish in the wild

Injuries to humans from stingrays occur when an unsuspecting person steps on a ray, causing the creature to reflexively strike out with its tail.

Florida Museum of Natural History

Stingrays do not attack people, however if it is stepped on, the stingray will utilize its spine as a form of defense. Although being pierced by the stingray’s spine is painful, it is rarely life threatening to humans.

[SuziQ]

It is a shame he misread the response of this partcular one.

From what I read after the accident, he didn't even see this one until it was too late. The story said that the one that killed him was in the sand UNDER the one he was looking at, and Irwin didn't see it until the barb came up and hit him. It's not like he was poking at it; it was just a horrid accident, but he put himself in positions that made accidents all the more possible, so he knew the risks.