Steve Irwin Died!!?! :/

[cletus_the_Red]

Posted on CNN.com

"Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin died today after being stabbed by a stingray barb. Irwin was off Australia's coast, filming a feature for his daughter's show. "He came over the top of a stingray that was buried in the sand, and the barb came up and hit him in the chest," Irwin's manager John Stainton said.

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Steve Irwin, the enthusiastic "Crocodile Hunter" who enthralled audiences around the world with his wildlife adventures, died Monday morning after being stung by a stingray while shooting a TV program off Australia's north coast.

Media reports say Irwin was snorkeling at Batt Reef, a part of the Great Barrier Reef about 9 miles (about 15 kilometers) from the town of Port Douglas, when the incident happened.

Irwin, 44, was killed by a stingray barb that pierced his chest, according to Cairns police sources.

Irwin was in the area to film pieces for a show called "The Ocean's Deadliest" with Philippe Cousteau, grandson of Jacques, according to Irwin's manager and friend John Stainton. But weather had prevented the crew from doing work for that program, Stainton said, so Irwin decided to do some softer features for a new children's TV show he was doing with his daughter, Bindi.

"He came over the top of a stingray that was buried in the sand, and the barb came up and hit him in the chest," Stainton said.

Wildlife documentary maker Ben Cropp, citing a colleague who saw footage of the attack, told Time.com that Irwin had accidentally boxed the animal in. "It stopped and twisted and threw up its tail with the spike, and it caught him in the chest," said Cropp. "It's a defensive thing. It's like being stabbed with a dirty dagger." (Read the TIME.com obituary.external link)

Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality Monday morning off Port Douglas, according to Australian media. (Gallery: The life of the "Crocodile Hunter")

Queensland Police Services also confirmed Irwin's death and said his family had been notified.

Irwin was director of the Australia Zoo in Queensland. He is survived by his American-born wife, Terri, and their two children, Bindi Sue, born 1998, and Robert (Bob), born December 2003.

"The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest dads on the planet," Stainton told reporters in Cairns, according to The Associated Press. "He died doing what he loved best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. He would have said, 'Crocs Rule!' " (Watch a remembrance of Steve Irwin -- 1:58)

"Steve was a larger-than-life force. He brought joy and learning about the natural world to millions and millions of people across the globe," said Discovery Communications founder and chairman John Hendricks in a statement. "We extend our thoughts and prayers to Terri, Bindi and Bob Irwin as well as to the incredible staff and many friends Steve leaves behind."

Irwin's "Crocodile Hunter" show aired on the company's Animal Planet network.

Discovery Communications said it will rename the garden space in front of Discovery's world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, the "Steve Irwin Memorial Sensory Garden."

The company also is looking at the creation of a Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter Fund. The fund will support wildlife protection, education and conservation, as well as aid Irwin's Australia Zoo and provide educational support for Bindi and Bob Irwin, the company said.

Australia Prime Minister John Howard said he was "shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death," according to AP. "It's a huge loss to Australia."

Irwin became a popular figure on Australian and international television through Irwin's close handling of wildlife, most notably the capture and relocation of 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 catch phrase "Crikey!" (E-mail us: How will you remember Steve Irwin?)

"His message is really about conservation: He really wants to leave the world a better place for everybody," Animal Planet's Maureen Smith told CNN.com in April.

"It's unbelievable, really," Jack Hanna, the host of "Jack Hanna's Animal Adventure" and director emeritus of the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo, told CNN. "You think about Steve Irwin and you think of people who are invincible."

Hanna, a friend of Irwin's, noted that Irwin's persona of the Crocodile Hunter was no act. Irwin grew up around crocodiles, snakes and other animals at his parents' Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park and had been handling such creatures since he was a child.

"Steve really knew what he was doing. He was one of the finest reptile people in the world. He knew more about reptiles than anybody did. He was raised that way," said Hanna.

Though stingrays can be threatening, their sting -- usually prompted by self-defense -- is not often fatal. The bull ray that apparently stung Irwin was "a one-in-a-million thing," Cropp told Time.com. "I have swum with many rays, and I have only had one do that to me." (Watch a marine biologist talk about the dangers of stingrays -- 3:48)

"A wild animal is like a loaded gun -- it can go off at any time," Hanna said. "You have to be careful of that." But, he added, it's not the animals who are inherently dangerous, but the way they may react around humans. "People use the word 'dangerous,' and that sometimes is a word that's not fair to that animal, because that animal is only using the defenses that God gave it," said Hanna.


Kind of a sad day for those who knew him as a friend. An his Family ofcourse.

[Snoop]

Quite sad actually. Feel sorry for his wife and kids

[thetieger]

yea it's really sad

-Thetieger

[omegatron]

damn would have though it would have been to a croc> ?

[gelato]

It's true. I bet he wanted to be killed by another animal though. It's just too bad and sad.

[Primenal]

Yeah, I feel bad. By watching him he seemed like such a nice, enthused about life kind of person. Finds his wife that's in to the same thing he is, and they have a child. Don't know what he was like when the cameras were off, but I don't think somebody could act that happy go lucky all the time.
So, when a person like that dies (especially that way, all the sudden), and has a child to take care it's very sad. Especially after you wrestle crocs, play with snakes, and spiders that can easily kill you...You go out with just getting a bump to the chest in the water. At least he didn't have to suffer being eaten, or biten by a highly venomous snake, and dieing slowly. I'd imagine he went pretty quickly.

[cletus_the_Red]

They said he probably died instantly, but the size of the quill thing off the ray was really long, about 6 inches (seen the video). But yea, kind of a shock to me, because he died because of a sting ray, which i believe only 2 other people died of a sting ray. (i may be wrong), Why did it have to take that man tho, he was brilliant.

[ahmadka2]

I was at mess.be yesterday, where I saw a tribute display picture of him, and thats how I found out.......very sad to hear this..... the poor guy has 2 kids aged just 8 and 2 !! may God be with him in this time of pain... Amen... And Stevie, RIP dude !!!

[boule]

That sucks

i love his show on discovery channel, never saw an explorer with that much enthusiasm.

RIP Steve

[cletus_the_Red]

Actually according to the DISCOVERY, he did indeed pull the barb out of his chest on tape. But only if his widow aggres to show, the channel wont.