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Topic: Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin Dies

Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-04-2006 04:46 PM

I thought all his shows were great and very entertaining to say the least. Crikey... He will be missed by many millions!

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Chad Souder
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 962
From: Waterloo, IA, USA
Registered: Feb 2000

posted 09-04-2006 05:15 PM

Why is this sad or surprising? I liked his show, too, but I didn't know the guy personally. If any of you did know him personally, then I am sorry for your loss. It is kind of disappointing that his show won't be on anymore to entertain me, but then the new season of House starts soon. What I do know is that this was a man that made millions of dollars by keeping animals in captivity and intruding on their turf. I am not by any means an animal rights advocate, but I don't see the shock in a guy being killed by a wild animal with the home field advantage. If he got killed by a caterpillar or the ray would have stabbed him while he was sitting in his living room, that would be shocking.

Animals are extremely unpredictable and the human is physically inferior to many of them. I'm sure we all know of a dog that was sweet and gentle it's whole life and one day it just up and bit someone. To observe is one thing, but in order to make the kind of money Steve Irwin was making, you have to get right in there and be crazy. That's what he chose to do and he ultimately got bested. It's about as surprising as Dale Earnhardt getting killed in a crash during a race or as sad and what happened to Christopher Reeve. The surprise for me comes from living as long as he did.

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Pravin Ratnam
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 844
From: Atlanta, GA,USA
Registered: Sep 2002

posted 09-04-2006 05:44 PM

According to many accounts, he gave generously for the cause of conservation. The guy has something that is to be admired - a great positive spirit. He lived life to the fullest. I wasnt a regular viewer of his show, but whenever his show would be on Discovery HD, i couldt peel my eyes away. It wasn't just his stunts. BUt this energy. It was beautiful. He was no gimmick.

I am pissed there is very little coverage except for NBC actually leading off their news and interviewing Jack Hanna. CNN and FOX - not much. YOu would think FOX News would have enough resources in Murdoch's Australian operations to come up with a good feature. A lot less celebs like "K-Fed" seem to get more coverage for more trivial crap. Couldnt these cable news networks spend a few minutes less on some alleged killer of Jon Benet Ramsay(like what he drank or break into a live telecast of his plane lading) and few minutes more on this news?

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Mike Heenan
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1896
From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 09-04-2006 06:14 PM

I dont think it's surprising, but it's sad as he was in the prime of his life and got killed "young", at least that's the way I look at it. I never met him and can't recall wathcing many of his shows but he was entertaining when I saw him. But I'm not going to shed a tear over it, nor did I when Earnhardt cut off the other driver and got killed. But Chad, will you shed a tear when Denis Leary dies of cancer? [Razz]

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Frank Dubrois
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 896
From: Cleveland, OH
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 09-04-2006 06:30 PM

quote: Chad Souder
It is kind of disappointing that his show won't be on anymore to entertain me, but then the new season of House starts soon.

Thats pretty selfish. We're all sorry for YOUR loss of entertainment. Let's not think of his wife or two kids.

Was it surprising to find he was killed by an animal? No. It WAS surprising to find out that it was a Stingray. From what I heard, he was only the 3rd person in Austrailia to go this way. Usually people get tagged because they accidently step on them. With all the possibilities he created for himself, this was very surprising.

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Chris Hipp
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1462
From: Mesquite, Tx (east of Dallas)
Registered: Jul 2003

posted 09-04-2006 06:45 PM

quote: Chad Souder
but I don't see the shock in a guy being killed by a wild animal with the home field advantage.

Maybe it is shocking because sting ray deaths are practically unheard of. For a guy that was wearing scuba gear to take a shot that misses all hard spots on his gear and pierces straight into his heart is less than a 1 in a million shot. You literally have better chances of winning the lottery, being blown by a super model and dying in a plane crash at the same time. I find it more ironic than shocking.

quote: Chad Souder
What I do know is that this was a man that made millions of dollars by keeping animals in captivity and intruding on their turf.

Obviously you don't understand that zoos and aquariums do more than just put on shows for an audience. That is merely a way to get funding. The primary purpose of the any good zoo is captive breeding programs and providing a home for animals that cannot defend themselves, which were often shown on television.

Sure he made millions but he also spent millions on conservation efforts and he personally bought tons of land in Australia to preserve. I'm sure land in the outback is not as pricey as lower Manhattan, but he still spent his own money to help save whatever animals he could. He was also a crusader against poaching and the senseless killing of animals.

I'm no vegetarian, but I don't think it is right to kill something just so you can mount its head on a wall and say you killed it.

Of course we didn't know him personally, but we have been watching him and his family for the last 15 years, almost, on TV. His death is a huge loss not only to his family, but to the wildlife conservation efforts.

Chad, if you don't like him that is great, but let me ask you one thing. What have YOU done with YOUR life that you make you feel you have the right to bash someone like Steve Irwin? I can tell by this statement

quote: Chad Souder
It is kind of disappointing that his show won't be on anymore to entertain me, but then the new season of House starts soon.

that the answer is probably NOTHING.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 09-04-2006 07:01 PM

Even though Steve Irwin took a lot of crazy risks with animals in his shows, I was still pretty shocked to hear about his fatal encounter with a sting ray. Pretty terrible way to die. Some news coverage has mentioned a sting from a sting ray is very painful.

Still, being the tastleless jerk I can be at times, I could not help thinking about that South Park episode where they made fun of Steve Irwin, "watch me put me thumb in this croc's ass!" The thought immediately translated to possible last words, "watch me put me thumb up this sting ray's ass!"

Regardless of the really crazy things Irwin did (such as holding his infant child while feeding a crocodile) I think he really was a positive credit to zoos and animal/habitat conservation everywhere. He made the subject of animals and nature very entertaining and will be missed.

quote: Pravin Ratnam
I am pissed there is very little coverage except for NBC actually leading off their news and interviewing Jack Hanna. CNN and FOX - not much. YOu would think FOX News would have enough resources in Murdoch's Australian operations to come up with a good feature.

The CNN and Headline News channels have been airing lots of coverage on the tragedy all day long ever since the story broke early this morning. But then Fox's apparent lack of coverage may not be surprising since animal awareness and conservation usually falls within liberal "bunny hugger" territory.

quote: Chris Hipp
Obviously you don't understand that zoos and aquariums do more than just put on shows for an audience. That is merely a way to get funding. The primary purpose of the any good zoo is captive breeding programs and providing a home for animals that cannot defend themselves, which were often shown on television.

Another purpose of zoo's (perhaps one of the most crucial purposes) is broadening the general public's knowledge and appreciation of nature. If they see these animals and know they exist they can see for themselves what will be lost if some species are rendered extinct. People aren't going to give as much of a shit about saving certain kinds of animals if they never see them.

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Michael Schaffer
"Where is the
Boardwalk Hotel?"

Posts: 4143
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Apr 2002

posted 09-04-2006 07:32 PM

That guy was an attention whore who clowned around with wild animals. It is sad that a lot of people apparently need somebody like that to get interested in animals and their preservation.

Yes, Zoos help that purpose, and they also are important for scientific study and preservation of rare species, although many of them really aren't well set up and really just animal KZs. Places like the San Diego Wild Animal Park which is 10 minutes from where I live are great because you can see the animals in a vast, generous outdoor setting rather than in cages. I have never actually been to the famous Zoo downtown. Maybe I should do that some time.

But in any case, I don't think what he did didn't really help those purposes that much. There are a lot of people who do really far more serious and valuable work and make much better documentaries about animals than he did. Those weren't about animals anyway. They were all about him goofing off. The animals were just props.

Oh, yes, I am really sorry for his wife and the kids he liked to dangle in front of crocodiles. Yes, yes, I know, he just wanted to get them used to animals from an early age. Why did he have to do that in front of audience and cameras, though?
How many people died today of hunger, wars, and crime?

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Chad M Calpito
Master Film Handler

Posts: 435
From: San Diego, CA
Registered: Apr 2006

posted 09-04-2006 08:06 PM

It's a shame that Steve died. I liked his shows. It was a surprise to hear he died, but, at least he enjoyed what he really liked to do.

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Anslem Rayburn
Master Film Handler

Posts: 476
From: Yuma, AZ, USA
Registered: May 2002

posted 09-04-2006 08:25 PM

Can't we have a thread about someone who passed on without being disrespectful to that person's memory? If you don't have anything positive to contribute, perhaps you should not participate in this thread.

I, for one, enjoyed the Crocodile Hunter. He seemed genuine in his love of nature, his shows were semi-educational and always entertaining, and he will be missed by many people around the world. Sad that his children will have to finish growing up without a father.

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Frank Dubrois
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 896
From: Cleveland, OH
Registered: Mar 2005

posted 09-04-2006 08:38 PM

Of course he took a lot of chances with wild animals, that was his gimmick. Thats how he got you to watch his show and listen to what he had to say about wild animals. Most famous animal handlers do wacky things to get out attention, but they also have a message to give us. Some people act stupid and goofy (Hanna), and others take the "adventurer" role (Irwin), and some bore us to death with nothing but animal facts (nearest high school teacher). I honestly beleive there was a method to his madness. I DONT think it was right when he got his young baby involved..that was careless, but when he jumped in a river to chase down a crocodile...THAT was classic. I've seen several imitators, but there will only be one Crocodile Hunter.

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Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99

posted 09-04-2006 09:28 PM

Y'Know, I was just thinking...

Steve Irwin may have been crazy but nothing beats the epsisode of "Wild Kingdom" where Marlin Perkins narrates the film:

"My assistant, Jim, can be seen here, wrestling this giant crocodile..."

All the while, Perkins, himself stands safely off to the side of the river bank and lets the croc wail the shit out of Jim and three other assistants!

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Chad Souder
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 962
From: Waterloo, IA, USA
Registered: Feb 2000

posted 09-04-2006 09:48 PM

quote: Mike Heenan
But Chad, will you shed a tear when Denis Leary dies of cancer?

That's funny, but no. I don't cry when people I don't know die.

quote: Frank Dubrois
Thats pretty selfish.

Hell yeah it's selfish and it should be. I pay almost $100 per month for my cable so that I can be entertained. I could give a crap about the personal lives of the people doing the entertaining any more than I expect them to care about my personal life as a viewer.

quote: Chris Hipp
Obviously you don't understand that zoos and aquariums do more than just put on shows for an audience.

I have no problems with zoos, in fact I kind of like them. I never said I did (except the monkey house; I never thought it possible anything could smell that bad). I just said Irwin made lots of money keeping animals captive. What he did with that money, I don't know, but I doubt his bank account was hurting.

quote: Chris Hipp
What have YOU done with YOUR life that you make you feel you have the right to bash someone like Steve Irwin?

I'm sorry if I made it seem like I was bashing him. He was very good at his career of choice and the Sports Center commercial he made with the Florida Gator mascot was quite funny. I was trying to bash those that responded to his death with sadness or surprise.

For the record , "If it's spooked by someone stepping on it or swimming too closely over it, frightening it, the tail raises involuntarily," said Victoria Brims, a marine life expert at OceanWorld, an aquarium in Sydney.

Sounds like this behavior isn't rare at all, just that Irwin might not have done his homework.

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Bruce McGee
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1776
From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular.
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 09-04-2006 10:02 PM

I'm seeing a new side to some of my mates here at FT, and I dont like what I see. Lets stop this, now, before someone gets banned.

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Pravin Ratnam
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 844
From: Atlanta, GA,USA
Registered: Sep 2002

posted 09-04-2006 10:20 PM

I dont mind an attention whore if I know he will still work with animals with the same enthusiasm off camera. And you know what. I believe Irwin would. He was raised by his dad Bob Irwin to work with crocs. It is a multigenerational family thing. As far as others making better documentaries, how much money did thoe docs contribute to worthy conservation causes? From many accounts, it appears Irwin put quite a decent amount of money back in. He was a good fundraiser and the reason why was his public persona, as distasteful as it may have been to Michael.

He wasn't doing it for cheap publicity. THe guy did something with his life. We should all aspire to live life to the fullest. We are not talking about someone who was delusional like Grizzly Man. He knew what he was doing a lot of the time.

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