Steve Irwin just died from a heart puncture by an otherwise dossile creature, the stingray. [related article] The famed Crocodile Hunter was wildly popular for his educational programming and his infectiously fun personality. I enjoyed his shows and listening to his wacky dialogue as he dodged striking snakes and charging lizards.
Perhaps not since Jacques Cousteau has a single man brought so much public attention to the animal kingdom. And where Cousteau was a marine explorer, Steve Irwin tended toward his native Australia for his adventures… although his TV shows took him anywhere you could find a beast with teeth and a temper. And also while Cousteau was a very reserved seagoing frenchman, Irwin was a chrasmatic and nearly-comic character… although he was no dummy - he knew his stuff for sure. And his style of educational programming was just the ticket for capturing the attention of today’s ADD generation.
Despite the fact that no other man in our time has done so much to further the cause of the animal kingdom (through education and visibility) the animal activist nutjobs aren’t impressed. The wackos from PETA and other collections of college-aged drunks have never had a love affair with Irwin, at times trying to get Animal Planet to pull his show off the air. This is typical fair from these idiots… and is a glowing reason why, despite loving nature and animals, I am sickened by Greenpeace and PETA.
Steve Irwin, rest in peace.
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He was a great australian icon. Such a shame he died at such a young age and leaving a wife and 2 kids behind. May he rest in peace.
What a tragedy! Steve Irwin was a great guy who did much to promote Australia and wildlife in general. And he was only 44.
The day that Steve died ,was the very next day after receiving the news that Trooper Lombonardo died. It was a sad Labor day. They will both be deeply missed. I was a huge fan of the Croc. Man. God Bless both Steve Irwin and Trooper Lombonardo.
Remember remember the sting of September
The chest puncture treason and plot
I know of no reason the Croc Hunter treason
Should ever be forgot.
Steve Irwin is a hero in so many ways when it comes to wildlife education and conservation. As far as PETA goes, they have no idea how much Steve did for so many. Steve reached out and touched the WORLD with his message of conservation. I can only hope his legacy will live on, and although they are so very young, i hope his children follow in his footsetps. Bindi is on her way, let’s hope Robert follows his big sister. So many of us have watch Steve Irwin, his family, and his friends for many years on Animal Planet, it’s so hard not to feel as though we’ve lost a close friend ourselves. R.I.P. You will be greatly missed by us all!
Mike, Terry, Jessica :: Thanks for your reflections and insights. Steve Irwin was a guy who absolutely loved what he did… and you could tell because it was all over his face. I will miss watching him, and I pray that his children and wife carry his legacy on.
I loved watching Croc Hunter too and Steve Irwin, while I never met the guy, seemed to just be full of life.
There’s that popular question, “if you could have dinner with 5 people who would you pick?” Steve Irwin was always on my list…
It’s a loss.
I met steve several times years ago (with my work not socially) and he was always just he he appeared on tv, full on never stopping long enough to cast a decent shadow, but his energy was infectious not draining. he honestly was a “good” man who did great things. PETA and that Greer creature be damned. I wish we could all have a little of what made him tick. the world would be a hellovalot better place to be.
So let me get his straight, with all the attention Steve Irwin’s death is getting, he must’ve accomplished something like curing cancer or bringing about world peace. He didn’t do any of those things? Really?
He tempted fate way to often, and the animals put him in his place. Was he a bad guy? Nope, of course not. Does he serve to be canonized like a saint for having a silly TV show that made him a millionaire? No way.
Steve Irwin achieved more in his life, than most people would achieve given the chance at living many lifetimes over. PETA are supposed to be all about the protection of animals, though all I have ever seen is them cast insults, abuse and negativity at the very people who dedicate their lives to protecting animals. Every day in our society, celebrities are worshipped like saints, but Steve Irwin was much more than this. Do ordinary celebrities who do nothing but pose or act deserve to be canonized for doing silly films or TV shows that make them millionaires? No way in a million years (though people do). Does a man who dedicated his life to the wellfare of animals, changed the face of how we pecieve wildlife and had an incredible zest for life deserve to be glorified? Absolutely, in my book.
Tempted fate way to often? - I would say he simply lived his life to the full, did what he wanted to do, was brave and tried to overcome obstacles that stood in his way. Life is way too short anyway, I think we could all take a little inspiration from such a great man.
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PETA is a disgrace Steve Irwin didn’t do his job for the fame and money he was doing his job before he became famous and his job was to educate people to respect animals not kill them also the funds he made from the crocodile hunter show was invested into the australia zoo so what ever money he had came from his job of running the australia zoo so steve irwin put his whole TV career and life into educating and expanding the zoo to protect animals from extinction, he will be missed by everyone and who ever doesn’t miss him is either jealous or evil.
Steve Irwin was a hero to the wildlife and to many people who knew him or watched him on TV. He didn’t just play a part on TV, he lived it. He put his own money down to prove that he believed everything he was saying about the wildlife and conservation. He loved his family and he loved the animals. What more can you ask for in a hero?
Kids today have idiots on TV who lie, steal, do drugs, and cheat on their wives but for one fleeting moment they had Steve Irwin. A good guy with high morals not only for his wife and family but for the animals. It has been said that he treated people with genuine kindness as well no matter what their station in life.
Steve, you will always be a hero in this house. God bless you and God bless and protect your family.
Oh and for the record. Steve Irwin donated most of the money he made not only to the Zoo but he also used it to purchase wildlife land to keep it out of the hands of developers. To the point where it is specualated that the zoo may have to cut back as it depended a great deal on his contributions. He also donated enough money for a large animal hospital to be built and was preparing to donate more to make it larger to handle all the animals needing care there. The hospital has stated that they will do everything possible to continue his work in his name. Doesn’t sound like someone who antagonizes animals just for profit to me.
People won’t conserve and protect what they don’t love and they won’t love what they don’t understand. Steve Irwin gave children and adults alike an understanding of animals some of us may never come in contact with, and in doing so, he did more for the conservation of these animals that anyone else I know. Shame shame shame on PETA.
What Steve brought to the world was the understanding that not just the “cute and Cuddlely” animals need to be protected, but that all animals regardless of whether they are prey or predator are important to the ecosystem. He went about it in away that made you sit up and take notice. Not with disgusting displays, threats and intimidation and Sanctimonious speeches, but with a close up look of the animals. We all learn best when entertained. We learned from Steve because we all know that he was not just spouting facts but was sharing the knowledge that he had gleened from years of working in the field. We learned from Steve because he was so willing to share his absolute and undeniable passion. We learned from Steve because there was nothing phony about him. The important thing is: We learned from Steve.
I agree about Steve Irwin - he was incredible. He was a great environmentalist & champion for animals. His death struck me pretty hard. Now PETA is twisting the knife with this unnecessary, unfair and insensitive attack. I used to support PETA, but not now (I don’t know anything about Greenpeace’s position, but Sea Shepherd wrote a kind tribute). Anyway, I can only imagine how much it is hurting Steve Irwin’s friends & family to have him attacked (really great, attack a deceased person who can’t defend himself). PETA has definitely picked on the wrong person - they will feel a backlash for this. They are so dumb; they don’t even realize what an ally he was to their cause of helping animals. All they are accomplishing is making people angry at them & alienating people who might otherwise have supported them. In fact, I will no longer support them because of this. PETA is not helping the animals with this attack; they are only hurting themselves.
I was totally amazed at the way PETA verbally attacked Steve Irwin after his death. I am an animal lover and have worked with them my whole life. I have worked as a wildlife rehabiliator, an educator of wildlife, and was diligent in prosecuting people who abuse animals. I truly looked up to Steve Irwin and was amazed by his compassion and zest for conservation and wildlife. He has accomplished more in his 20 years running his zoo than PETA has ever accomplished in the history of their existence. I have never heard that PETA has bought hundreds of thousands of acres all around the world to save animals or their precious habitat, Steve Irwin has. I have never heard PETA risking their safety so that someone could get close to an animal and learn about it enough that they begin to care and in turn protect that animal. Nothing was mentioned about how he caught rouge crocodiles to relocate them far away to an environment safe for the croc and surrounding people. He risked his life and spent his money to do it. Steve Irwin led research groups, which track crocodiles, and they are learning things about them that we never knew. Steve Irwin started an organization called Wildlife Warriors. It is devoted to animals of all kinds and their preservation. Steve Irwin was loved by millions and that is proof that he was doing things right. Working in the profession I do I heard people talk about him allot, some people would say they thought he was crazy but I never heard anyone say they thought he was cruel to animals. I have seen cruelty and it was never seen by Steve Irwin. I have heard him talk against purchasing animal made products like ivory, and fur, I have seen him cry numerous time, once as he educated us on habitat lose while comforting a dying baby asian elephant and another as he stood in the freezing ocean water on his birthday comforting dying sperm whales, another occasion was while he was in Africa and he took the time to educate people not to stop at road side animal tourist traps, because it will only further the suffering of that animal and future animals when the one they have die. I could go on and on…. That is love, that is compassion. I would walk in Steve Irwin’s shoes anyday and feel proud! I feel the animals and the world have lost the single largest fighter for animals, their rights and their habitat this world will ever know. As for PETA how can you talk about having compassion for anything when you stated that you are glad that he is dead? He left behind a family that loved him… a Wife that lost her soul mate…a piece of her heart… a Daughter that lost her Daddy and her Hero, a Son that lost his father… I man he probably will never remember… a Father who lost a child and his best friend…. a Friend that lost the man who saved his life…. The list goes on and on. Isn’t there enough hate in this would? Do we really need more and from a group that preaches about ethical treatment. I would love to see them apologize for their cold and hateful remarks. As for Me I will forever be in your debt Steve, God Bless You, your zoo and your family and friends
Below I’ve quoted an article from the GREAT and illuminating website PetaKillsAnimals.com:
Don’t Accuse PETA of Having Any Class
9/12/06
Less than a week after it happened, PETA is already using the death of Steve Irwin, a.k.a. the Crocodile Hunter, as a chance to stir up controversy. As Dan Matthews, PETA’s celebrity outreach director, callously told MSNBC, “It comes as no shock at all that Steve Irwin should die provoking a dangerous animal … If you compare him with a responsible conservationist like Jacques Cousteau, he looks like a cheap reality TV star.”
It was only a matter of time before these self-proclaimed “complete press sluts” used Irwin’s death as a means to draw attention to themselves. PETA has a history of exploiting human suffering for cheap publicity stunts. After Rudy Guliani was diagnosed with prostate cancer, PETA erected a billboard, showing the former New York mayor with a milk mustache, which read: “Got Prostate Cancer?” And PETA planned on using the image of the late President Ronald Reagan in a campaign linking meat consumption with Alzheimer’s disease until the recently widowed Nancy Reagan stopped them.
Ironically, Irwin has probably done more to encourage animal welfare than Ingrid Newkirk’s gang of animal-rights loonies ever has. A brief contrast in styles makes this point all too evident. PETA specializes in intentionally offensive, sexually suggestive, and overtly manipulative campaigns that seem to appeal to only the most die-hard, misanthropic animal activists. Irwin, on the other hand, used kid-friendly TV programs (and movies, stickers, T-shirts, trading cars, clothing lines …) as a platform to promote a genuine cross-generational appreciation of the natural world.
All this goes to show that PETA’s repulsive moral equivalence between animals and humans inevitably leads to a devaluing of human life. As one angry fan succinctly put it: “These people are sick. The guy has only been dead for a few days, show some respect. “
this website is awesome we love u crock man luv april n georgia n harry
i just want to say, once i heard that Steve Irwin had died, it also brought my heart to a stop. I loved that man and his shows, and I am quite sad that he had to leave me at such and early age. I am just happy that he died doing what he loved, and what he was best at. May he rest in peace.
Steve was my idol, and it shocked me to hear about PETA attacking him and his work soo soon after his death. I grieved for him, and his family.
PETA be damned, Steve was a great man and his memory will live on in every soul he touched.
PETA=lame
i loved steve
Man, Steve was really something, huh. I used to watch his show ll the time, I loved his catch phrase “cricky”,(I think thats how you spell it) He was a really good man, and really cared about the animals, not like those other guys who just do it for publicity. We will miss you Steve, you certainly put a mark on history.
I LOVE STEVE IRWIN.
well i just wonted to say that he was a good looking guy and he was a great awesome guy. he was the funniest and the most out going and also braqve guy i no and he dsure did love his animals well i just wonted to say hi to the family and sorry to hear that well i love you guy and i hope you have a wonderfull life. RIP steve irwin love amber
Steve irwin ruled its a shame he died =’(