Dangerous and Wild Animal

I guess I'll weigh in on the Steve Irwin death.
Now, I have to admit, even though I don't watch much television, I was rather saddened at the news of his death. He seemed to be one of the most genuine guys on television and truly loved his work.
I have seen a lot of accusations that he was reckless in his lifestyle, but even he has publicly said that it is "all about perceived danger." I admit, with wildlife, you really will never know what they will do. This guy was a professional though and not some idiot running around in the woods (in spite of the fact he might have acted that way).

His death, really is rather freakish, and in this situation he seemed to be in a pretty safe environment. I saw a picture of the barb from a large stingray like the one which attacked Irwin, and the thing was the equivalent of an 8 to 10 inch blade. It happened to hit him in the heart which just made it even more unlikely. (I think I read a statistic which said that only 7 people had died from stingray attacks there in the last 200 years.)



I guess you can debate on whether he was being negligent in placing himself in the situations he did. He will be missed, though, and was a hero to many children. I must also say, I don't see people saying that Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom was a bad role model either.

Whether you liked Steve Irwin or not, it is sad when anyone dies unexpectedly. What is worse though is that some people are going out of their way to disrespect the guy.

I just saw an article at from AFP that is just disgusting on this subject. Speaking of wild and dangerous animals, because she sure isn’t human.

Australian feminist Greer attacks "embarrassing" Croc Hunter

SYDNEY (AFP) - Outspoken Australian feminist Germaine Greer has labelled "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin embarrassing and said she hoped her compatriot's death brought an end to exploitative wildlife programs.

Greer accused Irwin of provoking the stingray that killed him with a tail barb to the heart Monday, saying such behaviour was typical of the 44-year-old naturalist's documentaries."I really found the whole Steve Irwin phenomenon embarassing and I'm not the only person who did, or indeed the only Australian who did," the British-based Greer told Australia's Channel Nine television via satellite Wednesday.

Asked whether she felt out of touch with most Australians given the wave of mourning that has swept her homeland since his death, Greer replied: "I don't care what I'm being called, I hope I'm out of touch with what idiots are thinking."

Greer's remarks follow a column she wrote for Britain's Guardian newspaper in which she said the animal world had finally taken its revenge on Irwin.

They angered Peter Beattie, premier of Irwin's home state of Queensland, who described Greer's comments as "outrageous".

"That's just nonsense," Beattie said. "That is just garbage and it is insensitive, crazy and untrue."

The opposition Labor Party's foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd said Greer should have considered Irwin's wife and two children before speaking out.

"I think Germaine Greer should just stick a sock in it," he told reporters.

"You have got a grieving mother, you have got a couple of grieving young kids and a grieving nation and what do you get from Germaine Greer? You get a bucket load of politically correct pap - it's just nonsense.

"Steve Irwin was a nature conservationist, an animal conservationist and made a huge contribution to the preservation of wildlife worldwide.

"And what do we get from Germaine Greer? Some gratuitous, politically correct claptrap."

Greer shot to prominence in the early 1970s with her seminal feminist work "The Female Eunuch". Since then she has been largely based in Britain.

How sad. Pray for Steve Irwin, and pray for her.

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