Crocodile Hunter Dead

By Rich Tehrani

President and Editor-in-Chief

 

Few people in this world have changed the way millions view and appreciate wildlife. With his love of animals and unmatched enthusiasm, Steve Irwin went everywhere, did anything and attempted the impossible—every day.

This man was fearless. He handled venomous snakes, like Black Mambas, in the wild with nothing more than a slightly bushy branch as protection. He removed a deadly brown snake from the inside of his car with aplomb.

 

Then there was the Red-Backed spider that typically crawls into people's shoes and delivers a fatal bite to those who are unaware. He was a champion of this and other venomous arachnids. He handled deadly sea snakes like they were sea horses and of course his specialty was crocodiles and he routinely jumped on crocs many times his size and weight.

Sharks and related fish were of no concern either as he routinely went into waters infested with sharks and grabbed some of the smaller ones by the tail.

The world saw Steve get bitten by sharks, snakes and crocodiles yet he endured and came back for episode after episode. We even saw him go to his doctor and get patched up. He always explained each incident where he was injured as the animal trying to defend itself. The animal always had the benefit of the doubt.


The terrible news of the day is that Steve Irwin is dead. He died doing what he did best, living in the habitat of the wild creatures he loved so much. A stingray barb pierced his chest as he was swimming over it. Stingrays rarely cause human deaths; the fatality in this case seems to be solely because the stingray's tip went through Irwin’s chest.

I can’t tell you the affection I had for Irwin and the appreciation I have for what he has done for animals. He has brought understanding and compassion to the animal world and has single-handedly brought more tolerance to our civilization of much maligned animals such as snakes and crocodiles. Most importantly, he did it while entertaining us.

Irwin was fearless. He loved doing what he did. He died doing what he did best. He will be missed terribly. Television may never be the same. Steve, we will all miss you. You are gone but not forgotten. Hopefully the compassion and understanding Steve tried to bring to the world will endure. Hopefully this tolerance for animals—even dangerous animals—will endure; as it does, so too will Steve’s legacy.

See also:
Irwin death footage may not be shown
Steve Irwin's tragic accidental death caught on film
Discovery announces Irwin 'Crikey' fund tribute
Steve's fearless love of life

Irwin mourned by US TV network
Fatal sting was caught on camera

Rich Tehrani is President and Group Editor in Chief at TMC. In addition he is the Chairman of the world’s best attended VoIP event, Internet Telephony Conference & Expo.