Steve Irvin
 

Gosh, just got home and saw the news....Steve Irvin killed in an accident. It's really a sad sad day....

Hari

It's <b>Irwin</b>, not Irvin ... Crikey, I always thought he'd make his fatal mistake with a croc ...

It's a real loss. Love or loathe his style (and it took me a long time to get to like him) the guy really got his message across to a lot of people. Did you see John Howard choking up? Who would have thought?

Rest in Peace

This is a true tragedy. Although I rarely watched his show, I really respected what Steve Irwin did for wildlife conservation.

How ironic that he would perish while filming what was considered some &quot;soft footage&quot; for his show aimed at children rather than for the &quot;Ocean's Deadliest&quot; segment that had been postponed due to weather.

Wow, very sad indeed. I'm not surprised that he had a wildlife accident but I'm shocked it was a sting ray -- what a fluke. Guy was so passionate about wildlife and really brought interest to the very much maligned snakes that badly need more understanding.

Sorry for the loss to his family, especially for his young children. However, what a way to go? Doing what he loved. What a fluke though. Stingray barb to the heart. What are the odds of that?

I really liked the guy. He will be missed. (note: last I had heard he had quietly slipped into town to try and catch our Reggie the alligator in a lake in South Los Angeles. I assume he had not been successful, otherwise the great self promoter he was he would have surely let the world know.)

Kevin from California

Yes, very sad and quite a shock since he was not doing anything that dangerous.

A Steve Irwin anecdote from South Luangwa:

As a joke Steve Irwin was told that to get close to the hippos and the crocs in that area the best method was to completely douse yourself in mud. I guess to cover your scent or something.

He obliged immediately and thought it was quite funny when he realized he had been spoofed.

Sad because he undoubtedly did some good for wildlife conservation. But his approach to animals was too confrontational for me. The stingray apparently thought so, too. A stingray expert here says they're not aggressive unless provoked.

John

My thoughts turns to the most recent Steve Irwin show that I viewed here in the States. The feature highlighted Steve's cross country trip with his family on the Australian Ghan train from Darwin to Adelaide.

I remember noting how the joy that permeated his face as he played with and teased his 8 year old daughter on various segments of the film and how the camera captured the glee of his daughter's face as they played. It was clear to me watching this episode that despite fame this man remained unprententious and that his family meant the world to him.

RIP Mr. Irwin

I can think of no one else in my lifetime that has done so much for wildlife conservation.

Consider the countless number of children (and adults) who today have a new respect and love for wildlife and nature as a result of watching his shows... many of whom will follow a different path in life than they would have without Steve Irwin.

Unlike the heroes I had as a child (Batman, Robin, various athletes), Steve was a real life hero. His message of love and respect for all animals is needed today as much as ever.

I think the next generation of leaders - meaning today's children - will carry on his spirit and for this we can all be grateful to him.

The world has lost a beauty of an ambassador and my heart goes out to Terry and his two children. He will be missed by far more than those who knew him personally.

Thank you Steve.

He took crazy risks, but he was so darned <b><u>likeable</u></b>...really very sad.

Cyn

So sad, and what a strange thing to happen. We swam with the sting rays in Grand Caymen, and they were so tame and docile...I hear this is a very unusual occurance. What makes this all the stranger is that Steve interracted with so many extremely dangerous animals, and yet a seeingly harmless one kills him. What a loss!
Cindy

Agreed, how odd that he should be killed by a stingray. He did seem to take crazy risks to me, around crocks and deadly snakes. His enthusiasm for life and for wildlife conservation will be sorely missed. And, despite the odd incident with his baby son, he seemed to truly adore his wife and his kids..