Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) was killed
 

'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin's Death Caught on Videotape

Tuesday , September 05, 2006 (Fox News)

CAIRNS, Australia — Steve Irwin was videotaped pulling a poisonous stingray barb from his chest in his last moments of life, officials said Tuesday, as tributes poured in for TV's "Crocodile Hunter."

Police said there was nothing suspicious about Irwin's death and no evidence he provoked the animal. Irwin, 44, was stabbed through the heart on Monday while snorkeling with a stingray during filming of a new TV program on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

John Stainton, Irwin's manager who was among the crew on the reef, said the fatal blow was caught on videotape, and described viewing the footage as having the "terrible" experience of watching a friend die.

"It shows that Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him here (in the chest), and he pulled it out and the next minute he's gone," Stainton told reporters in Cairns, where Irwin's body was taken for an autopsy.

Queensland state police were holding the tape as evidence for a coroner's inquiry -- a standard procedure in high-profile deaths or those caused by other than natural causes.

Experts have said the stingray may have felt trapped between the cameraman and the TV star. Irwin, the popular host of "Crocodile Hunter," rose to fame by getting dangerously close to crocodiles, snakes and other beasts.

But Queensland Police Superintendent Michael Keating said there was no evidence Irwin threatened or intimidated the stingray, a normally placid species that only deploys its poisonous tail spines as a defense.

Stainton said Irwin was in his element in the Outback, but that he and Irwin had talked about the sea posing threats the star wasn't used to.

"If ever he was going to go, we always said it was going to be the ocean," Stainton said. "On land he was agile, quick-thinking, quick-moving and the ocean puts another element there that you have no control over."

Parliament took a break from the business of running the country to pay tribute to Irwin, whose body was being flown home Tuesday from Cairns. No funeral plans were announced but state Premier Peter Beattie said Irwin would be afforded a state funeral if his family agreed.

Irwin's American wife Terri, Bindi and their son Bob, almost 3, returned late Monday from a trekking vacation in Tasmania to Australia Zoo, the wildlife park where the family lived at Beerwah in Queensland's southeast.

At the park, hundreds of people filed past the entrance laying floral bouquets and handwritten condolence messages. Khaki shirts -- a trademark of Irwin -- were laid out for people to sign.

"Mate, you made the world a better place," read one poster left at the gate. "Steve, our hero, our legend, our wildlife warrior," read another. "I thought you were immortal. How I wish that was true," said a third.

The park opened Tuesday because it was what Irwin would have wanted, said Gail Gipp, an animal health employee.

Irwin was propelled to global fame after his TV shows, in which he regularly wrestled with crocodiles and went face-to-face with poisonous snakes and other wild animals, were shown around world on the Discovery Channel.

The network announced plans for a marathon screening of Irwin's work and a wildlife fund in his name.

"Rarely has the world embraced an animal enthusiast and conservationist as they did Steve Irwin," Discovery Networks International President Dawn McCall said in a statement.

Experts differed on the number of human deaths caused by stingrays -- anywhere from 3 to 17 -- though they agreed that they were extremely rare.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,212126,00.html

RE: Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) was killed
 

I heard about this yesterday. It's sad but not necessarily surprising that this happened. A Stingray killing him is the more surprising part. I would have expected a Crocodile to finally get him. I feel sorry for his son. He won't have a father now. Just goes to show you that animals will kill people. I bet a movie about his life is just around the corner.

The link at the bottom should lead you to the page where their is video footage of his death (if you want to see it).

RE: Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) was killed
 

Yes it is sad. What I liked about him and his show is how enthusiastic he was about whatever he was talking about. He seemd like a very positive person to be around.

RE: Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) was killed
 

He was a fun person to watch. He was hilarious. He was always getting hurt due to the fact that he wanted to show off to the audience. He obviously was a person who enjoyed his job and everyone could tell.

RE: Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) was killed
 

You feel sad, but then he died doing something he loved to do. That is the way I would want to go. Well my thing is Motorcycles. I mean, I would try not to die, but if I do, this is the way.

RE: Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) was killed
 

I'm feeling more sad for his son than for him really. He knew what he was getting himself into but his son is going to have to grow up without his father. That is a very hard thing for a child to go through. I've seen it happen before. Your right it was great that he got to go out doing what he loved, but I still feel sorry for his son more than anything.

RE: Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) was killed
 

It is sad to hear about his death. He shocked the world with the way interacts with wildlife. he has changed the way we look at animals, His legend will live on for generations to come!!! All the critics talking about him being a thrill seeker and adrenaline junky, is BS the guy grew up around wildlife. He did it to draw our attention as a captivating audience to teach us about wild animals that we did understand. He is one of kind. I cant imagine anyone replacing or succeeding past his accomplishments. R.I.P.

RE: Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) was killed
 

There will be others who will try because they saw this, but no one ever be able to replace the original. He was very good at what he did. He just should have considered being a little more careful. He was playing with matches and finally got burnt.

RE: Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) was killed
 

Well, this is one in a million accident since sting rays are defense creatures. Sting rays will shake their wings until they are hidden in the sand.

Steve apparently was swimming too close to the bottom and the sting ray felt threatened and shot his barb into his heart. It had both a hole
in his heart since Steve reacted and pulled out the mulitbarbed stinger plus the venom which they do not have a cure for.


He grew up in this environment and just wanted to show people his backyard and he had a good time doing it.

He was not doing anything dangerous as this was supposed to be shown on a TV show that his daughter was going to be in kids show.

Did it catch up to him, no, not based on what he was doing at the time. I have many times went wadding in sting ray invested water fishing for flounder.

I typically shuffle my feet and the stingrays swim away.

RE: Steve Irwin (The Crocodile Hunter) was killed
 

Good points. I still think he pushed his luck a little with the other animals. I know stingrays aren't a vicious like snakes or crocodiles, but he still could have been more careful. I thought he had a son. Was it a daughter? My mistake.

He was a good person overall. A little unconventional maybe, but people like that are what makes life interesting.