offtopic: crocodile hunter steve irwin killed

[d]

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/...ory?id=2391300

BRISBANE, Australia Sep 4, 2006 (AP)— Steve Irwin, the Australian television personality and environmentalist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray during a diving expedition, Australian media said. He was 44.

Irwin was filming an underwater documentary on the Great Barrier Reef in northeastern Queensland state when the accident occurred, Sydney's The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on its Web site.

The Australian Broadcasting Corp. said Irwin was diving near Low Isles near the resort town of Port Douglas, about 1,260 miles north of Brisbane.

A helicopter carrying paramedics flew to the island, but he died from a stingray barb to the heart, ABC reported on its Web site.

Telephone calls to Australia Zoo, Irwin's zoo in southern Queensland, were not immediately answered.

Irwin is famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchcry "Crikey!" in his television program "Crocodile Hunter," which was first broadcast in Australia in 1992 and has aired around the world on the Discovery channel.

He rode his image into a feature film, and developed the Australia Zoo as a tourist attraction.

Irwin had received some negative publicity in recent years. In January 2004, he stunned onlookers at his Australia Zoo reptile park by carrying his 1-year-old son into a crocodile pen during a wildlife show. He tucked the infant under one arm while tossing the 13-foot reptile a piece of meat with the other.

Authorities declined to charge Irwin for violating safety regulations.

Later that year, he was accused of getting too close to penguins, a seal and humpback whales in Antarctica while making a documentary. Irwin denied any wrongdoing, and an Australian Environment Department investigation recommended no action be taken against him.

[Legend]

Thats really sad news i feel bad for his wife and young girl.

[GroobySteven]

Crikey, cor blimey I'm absolutely gutted, mate.

Go on, fella died what he liked doing, your all right, crikey.

I've much more respect for him than many of the people who emulated his show as he was certainly all about the animals and had a genuine care for nature.

Crikey, bad show...will be missed.

seanchai

[Trogdor]

Some extra bits of that article.

BRISBANE, Australia - Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and environmentalist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray during a diving expedition, Australian media said. He was 44.

Irwin was filming an underwater documentary on the Great Barrier Reef in northeastern Queensland state when the accident occurred, Sydney's The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on its Web site.

The Australian Broadcasting Corp. said Irwin was diving near Low Isles Reef near the resort town of Port Douglas, about 1,260 miles north of the state capital of Brisbane.

Queensland ambulance service spokesman Bob Hamil confirmed that a diver had been killed by a stingray off Lowe Isles Reef but refused to say who the victim was until relatives had been notified.

A rescue helicopter was sent from the nearby city of Cairns, and paramedics from it confirmed the diver's death.

"The probable cause of death is stingray strike to the chest," Hamil said.

Staff at Australia Zoo, Irwin's zoo in southern Queensland, said they had heard the reports but could not comment.

Irwin is famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchcry "Crikey!" in his television program "Crocodile Hunter," which was first broadcast in Australia in 1992 and has aired around the world on the Discovery channel.

He rode his image into a feature film, and developed the Australia Zoo as a tourist attraction.

Irwin had received some negative publicity in recent years. In January 2004, he stunned onlookers at the Australia Zoo reptile park by carrying his 1-year-old son into a crocodile pen d'uring a wildlife show. He tucked the infant under one arm while tossing the 13-foot reptile a piece of meat with the other.

Authorities declined to charge Irwin for violating safety regulations.

Later that year, he was accused of getting too close to penguins, a seal and humpback whales in Antarctica while making a documentary. Irwin denied any wrongdoing, and an Australian Environment Department investigation recommended no action be taken.

Irwin was also seen as a vocal critic of wildlife hunts in Australia. The federal government recently dropped plans to allow crocodile safaris for wealthy tourists in the Northern Territory following his vehement objections.

Irwin told the Australian television program "A Current Affair" that "killing one of our beautiful animals in the name of trophy hunting will have a very negative impact on tourism, which scares the living daylights out of me."

He is survived by his American wife Terri, from Oregon, and their daughter Bindi Sue, 8, and son Bob, who will turn 3 in December.

One of the few people who respected nature and so on. Glad he stuck it to those rich folks.

[DJ_Asia]

Very sad indeed...

Ironic that with all the truly dangerous animals he worked with..venemous snakes,crocs etc...a relatively harmless stingray did him in...very bizarre.

DJ Asia

[specialk]

I'm shocked!!.......the guy who played with fire time and time again, and I thought for sure he was bullet proof, very sad!..........he'll be missed

[Mugai_hentaisha]

yeah I was shocked when I heard it. I thought about his kids wife and such sad very sad indeed. I felt that he alone really got a generation of kids that were in danger of losing touch with the world around them, interested in that world. He made it entertaining so even adults would watch and learn as well. I know it isn't any form of comfront but at least when the time came he was doing something he loved.

gonna miss ya steve

[ptyseminole]

He will be missed, real tragedy.

[hondarobot]

See, I hate to say "I told ya so", but swimming can kill you. Or at least the crazy-ass denizens of the ocean can. Of course this line of reasoning can be carried forth to include just about anything. . .

Cheers and O'Crickey. . . He knew the risks. May the road rise up to meet him (although he was kinda an irritating weirdo, in my opinion).

Here's to the Crocodile Guy. I figured he was gonna die as a result of his exploits eventually, but he didn't go out like a jerk. I mean, who gets killed by a stingray? That's interesting.

Salut.

[Dkg]

That's just really bad luck. The guy has been around a lot more dangerous creatures and has survived yet ends up getting killed in a freak accident by a stingray that somehow manages to pierce his heart....that sucks.