Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 04:26, 10 September 2006

Family

In 1992, Irwin married Terri Raines from Eugene, Oregon, United States. The pair had met a few months earlier when Raines had visited the zoo on a holiday. Said Terri at the time, "I thought there was no one like this anywhere in the world. He sounded like an environmental Tarzan, a larger-than-life superhero guy." Together they had two children: a daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin (born 24 July 1998), and a son, Robert Clarence "Bob" Irwin (born 1 December 2003). Bindi Sue is jointly named after two of Steve Irwin's favourite animals: Bindi, a saltwater crocodile, and Sui, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier who died in June 2004.

Irwin was as enthusiastic about his family as he was about his work. He once described his daughter Bindi as "the reason he was put on the Earth". His wife once said, "The only thing that could ever keep him away from the animals he loves are the people he loves even more."

Controversy

Some controversy arose during a public show on 2 January 2004, when Irwin carried his one-month-old son, Bob, in his arm whilst hand-feeding a chicken carcass to a 4-meter-long crocodile. The infant was close to the crocodile, and comparisons were made in the press to Michael Jackson's dangling of his son outside a German hotel window. In addition, child welfare groups, animal rights groups, and some of Irwin's television viewers criticised his actions as being irresponsible and tantamount to child abuse. Irwin claimed that any danger to his son was only a perceived danger and that he was in complete control of the situation, and consistently refused to apologise for his actions despite public outcry, by some, both in Australia and abroad. His defenders pointed to his many decades of hands-on professional experience and direct interaction with crocodiles, as well as his well-known devotion to his responsibilities as a father. This was also an old crocodile that had been in the zoo for years, and which he knew very well, making it possible to predict its behaviour and knowing where the limits of actual danger went. Terri Irwin claimed that their child was in no more real danger than a child being taught to swim would be. No charges were filed; according to one journalist, Irwin told officials he would not repeat the stunt. The incident prompted the Queensland government to change its crocodile-handling laws, banning children and untrained adults from entering crocodile enclosures.

In June 2004, allegations were made that he came too close to and disturbed some wildlife (namely whales, seals and penguins) whilst filming a documentary, Ice Breaker, in Antarctica. Subsequently, the matter was closed without charges being filed.

Animal Planet released a "Crocodile Hunter" special called "Crocodiles & Controversy," which attempted to explain some incidents behind Irwin's controversies. This special argues that Irwin's son was never in danger of being eaten by the crocodile, and that Irwin could not have endangered animals in Antarctica.

Politics

After questions arose about Irwin being paid $175,000 worth of taxpayers' money to appear in a television advertisement and his possible political ties, Irwin told ABC:

I love John Howard, and that's the way I am. So everyone thinks I'm, like, this diehard Liberal supporter. I'm not! I'm not. I'm sitting on the fence, mate; I'm a conservationist. I can't afford to be one way or the other. I just have to run straight up the middle, mate. I have to get on with whoever's in power. And to tell you the truth, the best speech that popped up in Parliament House when George Bush was here was Simon Crean. Here's a bloke who actually disagreed with Iraq, OK, so he put forward the most eloquent speech, which really boosted his profile in my eyes. By crikey, I thought, Simon did the best one there, which is fantastic. So I appreciate good work when I see it, and that's all it is.

His comments describing John Howard as the "greatest leader in the world" earned him scorn in the media.

Search and rescue effort in Mexico

In November 2003, Irwin was filming a documentary on sea lions off the coast of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula when he heard via his boat's radio that two scuba divers were reported missing in the area. Irwin and his entire crew suspended operations to aid in the search. His team's divers searched with the rescue divers, and Irwin used his vessel to patrol the waters around the island where the incident occurred, as well as using his satellite communications system to call in a rescue plane. On the second day of the search, kayakers found one of the divers, Scott Jones, perched on a narrow ledge of rocks over waters with dangerous currents. Irwin and a crewmember escorted him to Irwin's boat. Jones reported not recognising his celebrity rescuer as he had never seen Irwin on television. The other lost diver, Katie Vrooman, was found dead the following day by a search plane not far from Jones's location.

Other personal information

• He was born on his mother's birthday.
• Irwin was particularly interested in Singapore Zoo, which he considered a sister institution of the Australia Zoo.
• Irwin loved mixed martial arts competitions and trained with Greg Jackson in the fighting/grappling system of Gaidojutsu.
• In 2004, during an interview with Larry King, he admitted that after receiving many painful bites he had a fear of parrots.
• In 2005, in an interview for New Idea, he told the magazine he was afraid of being killed in a car crash. (Article)

Death

Shortly after 01:00 UTC (11:00 AEST) on 4 September, 2006, Irwin was fatally pierced in the chest by a stingray barb whilst snorkelling at the Great Barrier Reef, at Batt Reef, which is located off the coast of Port Douglas in Queensland. Irwin was in the area filming his own documentary, to be called The Ocean's Deadliest, but weather had stalled filming. Irwin decided to take the opportunity to film some shallow water shots for a segment in the television program his daughter Bindi was hosting, when, according to his friend and colleague, John Stainton, he swam too close to one of the animals. "He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said Stainton, who was on board Irwin's boat the Croc One.

The events were caught on camera, and a copy of the footage was handed to the Queensland Police. After reviewing the footage of the incident and speaking to the cameraman who recorded it, marine documentary filmmaker and former spearfisherman Ben Cropp speculated that the stingray "felt threatened because Steve was alongside and there was the cameraman ahead." In such a case, the stingray responds to danger by automatically flexing the serrated barb on its tail (which can measure up to 25 cm or about 10 inches in length) in an upward motion.

Cropp said Irwin had accidentally boxed in the animal. "It stopped and twisted and threw up its tail with the spike, and it caught him in the chest. It's a defensive thing. It's like being stabbed with a dirty dagger." The stinging of Irwin by the bull ray was "a one-in-a-million thing," Cropp told Time magazine. "I have swum with many rays, and I have only had one do that to me."

Some reports have claimed that Irwin pulled the barb out of his chest shortly before losing consciousness. Irwin's colleague John Stainton suggested that this was the case when he first described the video to the media, saying, "Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him here , and he pulled it out and the next minute he's gone." In a susbsequent CNN interview, however, he denied that Irwin pulled out the barb, insisting that the anecdote was "absolute rubbish". It is thought, in the absence of a coroner's report, that a combination of the toxins and the puncture wound from the barb caused Irwin to die of cardiac arrest, with most damage being inflicted by tears to arteries or other main blood vessels. It is also possible that he died quickly as a result of a punctured aorta. Until the coroner's report is released, however, the precise cause of Irwin's death remains conjecture.

Crew members aboard his boat called the emergency services in the nearest city of Cairns and administered CPR as they rushed the boat to nearby the Low Islets to meet a rescue helicopter. Medical staff pronounced Irwin dead when they arrived a short time later. According to Dr. Ed O'Loughlin, who treated Irwin, "it became clear fairly soon that he had non-survivable injuries. . . . He had a penetrating injury to the left front of his chest. He had lost his pulse and wasn't breathing."

Irwin's body was flown to a morgue in Cairns. His wife, Terri Irwin, was on a walking tour in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania at the time, and returned via a private plane from Devonport to the Sunshine Coast with their two children.

As of 1996, only seventeen worldwide fatalities had been recorded due to stingrays, and the attack on Irwin is believed to be the only fatality from a stingray ever captured on film.

Recent information has surfaced in which the footage of Steve Irwin's death may be released and broadcast on television. However the opposite has also been stated. Irwin's friend and manager John Stainton said to CNN's Larry King " should be destroyed".

Reaction

News of his death prompted widespread shock and loss. Australian Prime Minister John Howard expressed his "shock and distress" at the death, saying that "Australia has lost a wonderful and colourful son." Queensland Premier Peter Beattie commented in a Channel Seven television interview that Irwin "will be remembered as not just a great Queenslander, but a great Australian". Several Australian news websites went down because of high web traffic and for the first time the top 10 list of most viewed stories for Fairfax Digital news sites were swept by one topic. Talk-back radio experienced a high volume of callers expressing their grief.

The U.S. feed of the Animal Planet cable television channel aired a special tribute to Steve Irwin that started on Monday, 4 September 2006. The tribute continued with the Animal Planet channel showing highlights of Irwin's more than 200 appearances on Discovery networks shows. The president of the Discovery Network, Billy Campbell, released a statement, saying:

Our entire company is deeply saddened by the tragic and sudden loss of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. Steve was beloved by millions of fans and animal lovers around the world and was one of our planet's most passionate conservationists. He has graced our air since October 1996 and was essential in building Animal Planet into a global brand.

On the evening of his death, Enough Rope re-broadcast an interview between Irwin and Andrew Denton originally broadcast in 2003. CNN showed a repeat of his interview on Larry King Live, originally recorded in 2004. The Australian federal parliament opened on 5 September 2006 with condolence speeches by both the Prime Minister John Howard and the Leader of the Opposition Kim Beazley. The Seven Network aired a television memorial show as a tribute to Irwin on 5 September 2006,, as did the Nine Network on 6 September 2006. Also on the evening of his death Triple M shock jock Spoonman called Irwin a "wanker" on air but later apologised for his comments in an online editorial called Humble Pie.

Irwin was very popular in the United States, tributes flooded U.S. talk shows following Irwin's death. Jay Leno delivered a tribute to Irwin, describing him as a great ambassador of Australia. Irwin appeared on Leno's talk show on more than ten occasions. There were also tributes on Live with Regis & Kelly and Barbara Walters' The View; on the former show, Kelly Ripa came close to tears with her praise of Irwin. The View's co-host Rosie O'Donnell described informing her son of Irwin's death as if Superman had died for him. Professional wrestler Matt Striker made light of the incident — joking about stingrays on ECW and prompting an apology from WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

Hundreds of people visited Australia Zoo to pay tribute to the deceased entertainer and conservationist. The day after his death, the volume of people visiting the zoo to pay their respects affected traffic so much that police reduced the speed limit around the Glass House Mountains Road and told motorists to expect delays.

Amid the outpouring of public grief, Germaine Greer published a criticism making statements such as "the animal world has finally taken its revenge" and referring to Irwin’s rebuttal to criticism as "That sort of self-delusion is what it takes to be a 'real Aussie larrikin'". The Australian media reacted with distaste to the article amid the praise offered for Irwin. Some notable Australian politicians regarded Greer's commentary with derision; her remarks were subsequently stamped as "insensitive and, frankly, stupid" by Peter Beattie and "gratuitous, politically correct claptrap" by Shadow Foreign Affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd. Writing in The Australian, John Birmingham describes his own shock at learning of Irwin's death and his outrage at the "elites", as he describes some including Greer, and their "harsh" and "unfeeling" sentiments.

However some did come to her defence, such as Dr Clive Hamilton, the executive director of the Australia Institute, who, writing in The Sydney Morning Herald admitted that while "Irwin was generous in using the wealth he accumulated for private conservation purposes", he was a crude presenter of nature. He accuses some Australians of being dishonest in their grief, claiming that for such persons it was a relief "to find a real target for bitterness in the form of Germaine Greer, whose only mistake was poor timing." "It's the new face of the cultural cringe", writes Hamilton, "we canonise anybody who makes it in the US or Britain no matter how lowbrow the performer."

Funeral and Memorials

Queensland Premier Peter Beattie extended the offer of a state funeral to Irwin's family, an honour also agreed to by Prime Minister John Howard. Steve Irwin's father, Bob Irwin, however, stated that his son would not have wanted such an honour, and wanted to be remembered as an "ordinary bloke". Irwin was farewelled by family and friends at a private funeral service held at Caloundra on the afternoon of 9 September, and is believed to have been buried at Australia Zoo soon after .

Bob Irwin has commented that there would be a public memorial service held within the next two weeks, so that the public would be able to attend. Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane has been reported as the likely venue for the public memorial. Beattie stated he would honour the decision of the Irwin family regarding their arrangements.

Several permanent memorials for Irwin have already been considered or announced. Premier Peter Beattie suggested a national park be named after Irwin or a permanent memorial might be constructed in his honour, though the details of the structure would depend on Irwin's family. Animal Planet will rename the garden space in front of Discovery's world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, to the "Steve Irwin Memorial Sensory Garden." They are also looking at the creation of the Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter Fund, which they will call "The Crikey Fund" which will "provide a way for people from across the globe to make contributions in Steve's honor to support wildlife protection, education and conservation."

References

1. "Reptile Romance". Who Magazine. Time Inc. 2002-11-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
2. ^ Cite error: The named reference larry_king_transcript was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
3. Patrick Barkham (2006-09-05). "It's like a part of Australia has died". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2006-09-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
4. "Inquiry into croc baby stunt". bbc.co.uk. BBC. 2004-01-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
5. O'Rourke, Claire (2004-01-05). "Croc hunter ducks for cover". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2006-09-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
6. "Steve Irwin baby concerns prompt law change". Sydney Morning Herald. 2005-02-24. Retrieved 2006-09-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
7. "Irwin cleared after Penguin Probe". BBC News. 2004-06-15. Retrieved 2006-09-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
8. Cite error: The named reference Willis was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
9. Devine, Miranda (9 November 2003). "Crikey! Praise for PM puts you in a snake pit". The Sun-Herald. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2006-09-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
10. CDNN: Diver remembers day her scuba buddy died in Baja by Thomas Geyer
11. "Singapore Sling!". International Crocodile Rescue. Retrieved 16 March. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
12. Jackson’s Gaidojutsu Self Defense www.jacksons.tv. Retrieved 7 September 2006.
13. ^ "Croc Hunter Irwin killed by stingray". THE AGE. 4 September 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
14. ^ Gerard, Ian (4 September 2006). "Steve Irwin's freak death filmed". The Australian. Retrieved 2006-09-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
15. Rory Callinan (4 September 2006). "Death of a Crocodile Hunter". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2006-09-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
16. "Crocodile Hunter Remembered". Retrieved 2006-09-05.
17. Richard Macey (2006-09-05). "Serrated knife-like barb, not toxins, the likely killer". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2006-09-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
18. Hedley Thomas and Nico Hines (2006-09-05). "Fatal stingray attack quick and rare". The Australian. Retrieved 2006-09-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
19. "Stingray Kills 'Crocodile Hunter'". AOL News. 4 September 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
20. "Stingray Deaths Rare and Agonizing". CNN. Reuters. 4 September 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
21. "Crocodile Hunter death to be broadcast?". Contact Music. 5 September 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
22. "Irwin's dad: 'I lost my best mate'". CNN. 6 September 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
23. "Irwin brought joy to millions: PM". The Australian. 2006-09-04. Retrieved 2006-09-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
24. "Irwin family offered state funeral". The Australian. 2006-09-05. Retrieved 2006-09-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
25. "Croc Hunter news consumes the web". theage.com.au. 2006-09-05. Retrieved 2006-09-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
26. Fidler, Richard (2006-09-04). "Tributes flow for Steve Irwin". 612 ABC radio. Retrieved 2006-09-04. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
27. Reuters "Discovery network mourns Irwin, plans tribute"
28. ^ "Discovery Communications, Inc. Mourns the Death of TV Host and Conservationist Steve Irwin". Discovery Communications. 2006-09-04. Retrieved 2006-09-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
29. Seven Network "Yahoo7 TV Tribute to Steve Irwin"
30. ^ Sydney Morning Herald "Aussie 'Superman' brings tears to US chat shows"
31. Striker goes too far?
32. ^ "Beattie flags Steve Irwin award, national park". ABC. 2006-09-05. Retrieved 2006-09-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
33. Greer, Germaine (). "'That sort of self-delusion is what it takes to be a real Aussie larrikin'". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2006-09-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
34. Hudson, Fiona (2006-09-06). "Feminist Greer slams Steve's antics". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-09-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
35. News.com.au "Greer should shut up, says Rudd"
36. Marszalek, Jessica (2006-09-07). "Beattie adds 'stupid' to Greer backlash". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 2006-09-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
37. Birmingham, John (2006-09-07). "Expat's feral attack reflects elitist conceit". The Australian. Retrieved 2006-09-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
38. Hamilton, Clive (2006-09-07). "Death becomes an excuse to savage 'elites' - now that's nasty". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2006-09-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
39. "Father rejects state funeral for 'ordinary bloke' son". The Age. 2006-09-07. Retrieved 2006-09-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
40. Robson, Lou (2006-09-10). "Family says private farewell". The Sunday Mail. Retrieved 2006-09-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
41. "Irwin may have stadium memorial service". Yahoo!7 News. 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2006-09-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

• Australia Zoo's Crocodile Hunter website
• Official Animal Planet website for The Crocodile Hunter
• Steve Irwin at IMDb
• Template:Tvtome person

Template:Persondata

• 1962 births
• 2006 deaths
• Australian conservationists
• Accidental deaths
• Australian environmentalists
• Australian naturalists
• Australian television presenters
• Deaths due to animal attacks
• Entertainers who died in their 40s
• People from Melbourne
• People from Queensland