September 4, 200620 yr In a marine accident ? That's sad. More news coming. I just saw it on CNN, no link.
September 4, 200620 yr Crocodile Hunter? Steve Irwin dies Naturalist reportedly killed by stingray barb Updated: 12:51 a.m. ET Sept. 4, 2006 SYDNEY, Australia - Steve Irwin, the quirky Australian naturalist who won worldwide acclaim, has died in a marine accident off Australia?s northeast coast, local media reported on Monday. Queensland state government sources quoted by Australian Associated Press (AAP) said Irwin, 44, whose television show ?The Crocodile Hunter? won international acclaim and popularized the phrase ?Crikey?, was believed to have been killed by a stingray barb that pierced his chest. He was filming an underwater documentary off Port Douglas when the accident occurred, the report said. Sky Television also reported that Irwin had been stung by a sting ray. Australian emergency officials could not immediately confirm the reports. Irwin won a global following for his daredevil antics but also triggered outrage in 2004 by holding his then one-month-old baby while feeding a snapping crocodile at his Australian zoo. This is a breaking news story and will be updated. Copyright 2006 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
September 4, 200620 yr Still unconfirmed..Here is one story: Steve Irwin dead in stingray attack By 7News Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin has been killed in a stingray attack near Cairns on Australia's far north coast. It was believed Irwin had been swimming off the coast of Cairns when he was stung. "It is understood he was killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest," Brisbane's Courier Mail reported this afternoon. Irwin was best known for his documentary series "The Crocodile Hunter". He was born in Victoria and found his love of animals after following in his father's footsteps, volunteering his services to the Queensland Government's East Coast Crocodile Management program. He spent years living on his own in the mosquito infested creeks, rivers and mangroves of North Queensland, catching huge crocodiles single-handed. In June 1992, he married American Terri Raines after they met when she visited Irwin's Australia Zoo. The 44-year-old is survived by his wife and two children, Bindi and Robert. http://au.news.yahoo.com/060904/23/10ebv.html
September 4, 200620 yr Oh my god. You knew it was only a matter of time though. Sad to see him go, he'll definitely be missed .
September 4, 200620 yr Damn, if true what a rough way to go. For years wrestling and wrangling alligators was this guy's bread and butter and it's sad to see the things he loved so dearly (animals) be the end of him.
September 4, 200620 yr Wow, incredible. He did a world of good for conservationists everywhere with his efforts. One of the counselors from my old camp was his niece.Really sad.
September 4, 200620 yr Confirmed now: Stingray kills 'Crocodile Hunter' POSTED: 1:21 a.m. EDT, September 4, 2006 SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Steve Irwin, the Australian TV presenter known as the "Crocodile Hunter," has died after being stung in a marine accident off Australia's north coast. Australian media reports say Irwin was diving in waters off Port Douglas, north of Cairns, when the incident happened on Monday morning. Irwin was killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest, according to Cairns police sources. Irwin was filming an underwater documentary at the time. Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality Monday morning off Port Douglas, according to Australian media. Queensland Police Services also confirmed Irwin's death and said his family had been notified. Irwin, 44, was director of the Australian Zoo in Queensland. He and his American-born wife Terri Irwin became popular figures on Australian and international television through Irwin's close handling of wildlife, most notably the capture of live crocodiles. Irwin's enthusiastic approach to nature conservation and the environment won him a global following. He was known for his exuberance and use of the catchphrase "crikey!" But his image suffered a setback in 2004 when he held his then one-month-old baby while feeding a crocodile at his Australian zoo. Irwin's wife Terri was believed to be on location in Tasmania, filming another documentary. Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer expressed his sorry Monday and said that he was fond of Irwin and was very appreciative of all the work he had done in promoting Australia overseas.
September 4, 200620 yr wow...wikipedia is amazing... Stephen Robert "Steve" Irwin (22 February 1962 – 4 September 2006) in Melbourne, Australia was the owner and manager of the Australia Zoo at Beerwah, Queensland, Australia. He was best known as The Crocodile Hunter, which was the name of the unconventional nature documentary series on television he hosted, assisted by his American-born wife, Terri Irwin. His larger-than-life persona and seemingly outrageous antics (including the close handling of both common and rare species of wildlife and, perhaps most famously, the capture of live crocodiles and other reptiles on-screen) were key features in the presentation, which provided a forum for educational information about wildlife conservation and conflicts with humans in various parts of the world. The program made the Irwins television personalities on several continents. Contents [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Death [*]2 Trivia [*]3 References [*]4 External links // Biography Born in Essendon, a suburb of Melbourne, Steve Irwin moved with his parents as a child to Queensland. His parents, Bob and Lyn, ran the small Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, where Steve grew up around crocodiles and other reptiles. He became a crocodile trapper, removing crocodiles from near populated areas, performing the service for free with the quid pro quo that he kept them for the park. As a child, he had a negative encounter with a macaw, which throughout his life left him with a fear of parrots. In 1991, he took over the running of the park, now renamed the "Australia Zoo", and in 1992 met (at the park) and married Terri. The footage, shot by John Stainton, of their crocodile-trapping honeymoon became the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter, which became wildly successful in America. In 2001, Steve appeared in a cameo role in the Eddie Murphy film Dr. Dolittle 2. In 2002, his first feature film, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, was released. In general, reviews of this film were negative. However, in 2003, Irwin was reportedly in line to host a chat show on Australian network television. The Irwins have two children: a daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin (born 24 July 1998), and a son, Robert (Bob) Clarence Irwin (born 1 December 2003). Their dog, Sui, from which their daughter's middle name was derived, died in June 2004. Under Steve's expansive leadership, the operations have grown to include the zoo, the television series, The Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation, and International Crocodile Rescue. Improvements to his Australia Zoo include the Animal Planet Crocoseum, the rainforest aviary, and Tiger Temple. Major controversy arose during a public show on 2 January 2004, when Irwin carried his infant son, Bob, in one arm while feeding a chicken carcass to a crocodile with the other hand. The infant was close to the crocodile, and comparisons were made in the press with Michael Jackson's dangling of his son outside a German apartment window. In addition, child welfare groups, animal rights groups, and many of Irwin's television viewers criticised his actions as being irresponsible and tantamount to child abuse. Irwin claimed that any danger to his son was only a perceived danger and that he was in complete control of the situation, and has consistently refused to apologize for his actions despite considerable public outcry both in Australia and abroad. His defenders pointed to his several decades of hands-on experience and direct interaction with crocodiles. Terri Irwin claimed that their child was in no more real danger than a child being taught to swim would be. No charges were filed (although the police did visit Irwin at his home and advised him not to repeat the incident). Irwin went on to star in other Animal Planet documentaries, including The Croc Files, The Crocodile Hunter Diaries, and New Breed Vets. In June 2004, Irwin again was the subject of controversy when allegations were made that he came too close to and disturbed some wildlife (namely whales, seals and penguins) while filming a documentary in Antarctica. Interacting with Antarctic wildlife in a disapproved manner may be a breach of Australian federal and international laws. Subsequently, the matter was closed without charges being filed. Animal Planet then released a Crocodile Hunter special called "Crocodiles & Controversy", which attempted to explain both the "Baby Bob Incident" and the Antarctica incident. This special argues that Irwin's son was never in danger of being eaten by the crocodile and that Irwin could not have endangered animals in Antarctica. Animal Planet ended the The Crocodile Hunter with a series finale entitled "Steve's Last Adventure". The last Crocodile Hunter documentary went for three emotional hours with footage of Steve's across-the-world adventure, visiting locations like the Himalayas, the Yangtze River, Borneo, and the Kruger National Park. Steve feeding a crocodile at Australia Zoo. In January 2006 as part of Australia Week celebrations in the USA, Steve appeared at the Pauley Pavilion, UCLA Los Angeles, California. During an interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Steve announced that Discovery Kids will be developing a show for his daughter, Bindi Sue.[1] The show, Jungle Girl, was tipped to be similar to The Wiggles movies, with songs that surround a story. A feature-length episode of Australian kids TV show The Wiggles entitled "Wiggly Safari" appears dedicated to Steve, and he features in it heavily with his wife and daughter. The show includes the song "Crocodile Hunter, Big Steve Irwin". On Saturday June 24, 2006, one of the oldest turtles living in Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo, died of heart failure. The turtle, Harriet, was 176 years old and was considered part of Irwin's family. Harriet was thought to have belonged to Charles Darwin. Steve Irwin was active in politics and was a supporter of the conservative Liberal Party of Australia. In particular, he strongly supported the incumbent Prime Minister John Howard. Death On September 4, 2006 shortly after 11:00 AM local time, Irwin was killed in a marine accident while filming an underwater documentary in the Batt Reef off the Low Isles near Port Douglas, north of Cairns, Queensland, Australia. It is believed that a stingray barb penetrated his chest causing a fatal wound, though this has yet to be confirmed by Australian officials.[2]
September 4, 200620 yr Of all the animals he dealt with, who'd have thought it'd be a stingray? You ever see the footage of him playing with his baby amongst crocs? Man, that was weird and creepy at the same time.
September 4, 200620 yr Their stinger is a razor-sharp, barbed or serrated cartilaginous spine which grows from the ray's whip-like tail (like a fingernail). It is coated with a toxic venom. This gives them their common name of stingrays, but that name can also be used to refer to any poisonous ray. Dasyatids do not attack aggressively, or even actively defend themselves. When threatened their primary reaction is to swim away. However, when they are attacked by predators or stepped on, the barbed stinger in their tail is mechanically whipped up, usually into the offending foot; it is also possible, although less likely, to be stung "accidentally" by brushing against the stinger. Contact with the stinger causes local trauma (from the cut itself), pain and swelling from the venom, and possible infection from parts of the stinger left in the wound, as well as from seawater entering the wound. It is possible for ray stings to be fatal if they sever major arteries, are in the chest or pelvic region, or are improperly treated. Their stingers are normally ineffective against their main predator, sharks. Famed Australian television host and animal expert Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray tail that penetrated his chest while filming a documentary on stingrays on September 4, 2006. So strange, of all the deadly animals he dealt with a sting ray was not one of them. And by deadly I mean agressive, the stingray is docile. Just one of those weird flukey accidents that no one will ever understand what exactly happened.
September 4, 200620 yr NO WAY!! This is awful news. As much as we made fun of him, he's a global cultural icon. I'm sad to hear he went so young.
September 4, 200620 yr damn thats really sad to hear, when someone told me this i thought they were just messing around but now that i see the story its been confirmed. real sad to see him go and things just won't be the same. prayers go out to the family.
September 4, 200620 yr This is kinda like the craziest news ever. To here it at a party at 3am makes it even more unbelivable. But I guess not.
September 4, 200620 yr wow, i never realized the ray's barb was that deadly. apparently this particular kind, a "bull ray" can be very dangerous, shaped like a bayonet at the end of a rifle & toxic. at least he died doing what he loved I guess..... RIP.
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