Steve Irwin Killed By Fish

The news this morning alerted us to the death of the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin.

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Anyone with a television has no doubt encountered something by the Crocodile Hunter, even if just a promo for one of his shows. A funny, good-natured kind of guy, always getting in close with the crocs, sharks, snakes, and other wildlife, he brought the wild into our homes with a style all his own.

I'm not going to write a proper obituary; I only knew the guy from television. I'm merely noting the loss of this enthusiastic entertainer and educator for my own purposes. A truthiness-filled discussion on Steve Irwin is available at wikipedia.org.

I will note a few thoughts, though. He died by being stabbed by a threatened stingray, most unfortunately, directly in the heart. While I'm sure he was capable of tomfoolery, he seemed to have a proper respect for wild animals, and it was probably just the case of the animal feeling threatened and lashing out. I'm sure a stingray has the ability to direct the use of his stinger, but they undoubtedly don't have an understanding of human anatomy; it probably didn't aim for his heart.

The early news bits I read noted he was "swimming" with the creature, but he was probably snorkeling; had he been scuba diving, he may have been inadvertently protected by the gear that gets slung across your chest.

Later news reports noted that the whole thing was caught on film (and noted that he was snorkeling). They were evidently filming a segment for a television show, so, like his other appearances, he was probably making the most of the opportunity and not goofing off. I'm sure that film will eventually make it on the Internet, but I have no plans to seek it out. I understand it has potential value in understanding the reactions of the stingray, but I found and took a look at the beheading of Nicholas Berg, and I'm done looking at actual death film.

Meant as a light-hearted reflection of his attitude more than an off-handed insult, I had to wonder: what do you want to bet his last thought was "crikey"? Probably that or "sorry, fella."