[Vision2020] Death of a Crocodile Hunter

[Tom Hansen]

>From CNN -

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Death of a Crocodile Hunter

Steve Irwin
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800409597/photo/500176

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Steve Irwin, the TV presenter known as the
"Crocodile Hunter," has died after being stung by a stingray in a marine
accident 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 on Monday morning.

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 "Ocean's Deadliest"
with Phillippe Cousteau, grandson of Jacques, Irwin's manager and friend
John Stainton told CNN's "American Morning." But weather had prevented the
crew from doing work for that program, said Stainton, 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," said Stainton.

Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality Monday morning
off Port Douglas, according to Australian media. (Watch scenes of Irwin,
known for his his enthusiasm and support for conservation -- 2:49)

Queensland Police Services also confirmed Irwin's death and said his family
had been notified. Irwin was director of the Australia Zoo in Queensland.

Read the TIME.com Obituary:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1531446,00.html?cnn=yes

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!' " 

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!" 

"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 of Steve Irwin and you think '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.

"The guy lived his life this way," said Hanna. "It was how he was raised.
You knew that this guy, from the time he was 8 or 9 years old, was working
with crocodiles and snakes."

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," wildlife documentary maker Ben Cropp told
TIME. "I have swum with many rays, and I have only had one do that to me."

"A wild animal is like a loaded gun -- it can go off at any time," Hanna
told CNN. "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. "It's not fair to the animal. It's only using the defenses that God
gave it," said Hanna.

Rise to popularity
Irwin first became popular with his show "Crocodile Hunter," which first
aired on Australian TV in 1992. Eventually, the program was picked up by the
Discovery Network in the United States, establishing Irwin worldwide.

His popularity led to a film, "The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course"
(2002).

Irwin's image suffered a setback in January 2004 when he held his then
1-month-old baby Bob while feeding a crocodile at his Australian zoo. 

In a statement released to Australian media, Foreign Minister Alexander
Downer expressed his sorrow and said that he was fond of Irwin and was very
appreciative of all the work he had done in promoting Australia overseas.

In 2003, Irwin spoke to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.'s "Australian
Story" television program about how he was perceived in his home country.

"When I see what's happened all over the world, they're looking at me as
this very popular, wildlife warrior Australian bloke," he said, the ABC
reported.

"And yet back here in my own country, some people find me a little bit
embarrassing. You know, there's this ... they kind of cringe, you know,
'cause I'm coming out with 'Crikey' and 'Look at this beauty.' "

At Australia Zoo at Beerwah, south Queensland, floral tributes were dropped
at the entrance, where a huge fake crocodile gapes, the AP reported. Drivers
honked their horns as they passed.

"Steve, from all God's creatures, thank you. Rest in peace," was written on
a card with a bouquet of native flowers.

"We're all very shocked. I don't know what the zoo will do without him. He's
done so much for us, the environment and it's a big loss," said Paula Kelly,
a local resident and volunteer at the zoo, after dropping off a wreath at
the gate, according to the AP.

"He has left a legacy," Stainton told CNN. "That people do love some of the
unloved animals like crocodiles and reptiles that people wanted to kill.
He's actually put a position in their hearts for them. I want that to
continue. ... I want people to really go out there and remember Steve Irwin
for what he really was, which was a great conservationist, saving wildlife
and actually promoting wildlife that people didn't love."


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Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"Only by going too far can one possibly find out how far one can go." 

- Jon Dyer