I heard on the radio that Steve Irwin, the Crocodile hunter, died on Saturday. He was killed by a stingray barb while filming an underwater documentary in the Great Barrier Reef off the Low Isles near Port Douglas, north of Carins. News reports say he was stung through the chest, most likely causing heart faliure. The Queensland Rescue Helecopter responded to a call from the crew, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
He has done everything he could to promote the environment, and I think it fitting that he died doing what he loved best, it just shows how dedicated he was to life on Earth. He is the sort of person who grabbed life by the horns and wrestled it to the ground. He had an amazing energy and enthusiasm for everything that was quite clear from watching him on screen. I remember seeing him on Graham Norton, where he was asked to catch an inflatable crocodile in a little paddling pool full of water. Steve rolled around in the pool and came out wet from head to foot, carrying said crocodile under his arm.
As well as the enthusiasm Steve also had a great knowlege of animals, and could easily talk about almost anything that he stumbled across in his adventures.
Now I think about it I am actually suprised that he was killed in this way because of the respect he has for dangerous animals. I know he used to play with poisonous snakes and the like, but he always kept them at arms length, glancing at the camera every few seconds in order to make the film. I don't think he would have put himself in danger intentionally.
My thoughts go to his wife (who was also an environmentalist) and two children.