So Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter" and zoologist from Australia, is dead; killed by a stingray, which stabbed him in the heart.
A lot of people are sad, and it is sad because he appeared to be a really good guy who brought knowledge of animals to other people in the fight to preserve our planet's wonderful species. And there are a lot of people who think he took one stupid chance after another, and finally drew the losing hand.
Me, I think he simply got overconfident. I think Irwin was a good guy, don't get me wrong. But when he had his then-infant son in one arm while he was feeding a crocodile, that was a sign he was starting to lose respect for the fact you cannot under any circumstances take wild animals for granted. The moment you stop respecting that rule, sooner or later you're going to find it rudely applied to you. And in a most final manner.
Steve Irwin found that out the other day, when he was swimming in the ocean in an attempt to make physical contact with a stingray. Stingrays are flat animals, that stay mainly on the bottoms of seabeds and most of whom have a very sharp, poisonous barb at the base of their tails. A few weeks ago I was at the zoo and there was a miniature shark and stingray tank wherein people were allowed to pet the animals. Fortunately, the stingrays had their barbs clipped off so the danger of them stinging people was minimum. But the rule is that you have to handle the stingrays from the bottom, not the top. Stingrays have a sort of slimy-feeling underside, and they love to be petted. Very friendly animals they have there in the tank. No one violated the rules of conduct, and the animals behaved themselves and even let people feed them.
But therein lies the problem. Even trained zoologists sometimes are attacked by the animals they care for and/or study. It can become almost routine handling them, and if you're not careful you can get seriously hurt or killed. Irwin forgot that. It doesn't make him a bad man. He just got careless, and he paid for that carelessness with his life. Most stingray wounds are non-lethal. Their venom isn't powerful enough to kill a strong, adult human being. But Irwin was above the stingray that killed him, not below it. And its barb went through his ribcage and pierced his heart. In salt water. He died almost instantly.
No matter how good they are, people are only human and they make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes prove fatal. Steve Irwin is an example of that. He brought the world this wonderful knowledge of wild animals, with a passion and dedication that most people on this planet simply don't have. But his death should be a lesson to everyone that we must never allow ourselves to lose respect for the animals we share this planet with. I think that's the best way we can honor his memory: never lose respect for animals.
A lot of people are sad, and it is sad because he appeared to be a really good guy who brought knowledge of animals to other people in the fight to preserve our planet's wonderful species. And there are a lot of people who think he took one stupid chance after another, and finally drew the losing hand.
Me, I think he simply got overconfident. I think Irwin was a good guy, don't get me wrong. But when he had his then-infant son in one arm while he was feeding a crocodile, that was a sign he was starting to lose respect for the fact you cannot under any circumstances take wild animals for granted. The moment you stop respecting that rule, sooner or later you're going to find it rudely applied to you. And in a most final manner.
Steve Irwin found that out the other day, when he was swimming in the ocean in an attempt to make physical contact with a stingray. Stingrays are flat animals, that stay mainly on the bottoms of seabeds and most of whom have a very sharp, poisonous barb at the base of their tails. A few weeks ago I was at the zoo and there was a miniature shark and stingray tank wherein people were allowed to pet the animals. Fortunately, the stingrays had their barbs clipped off so the danger of them stinging people was minimum. But the rule is that you have to handle the stingrays from the bottom, not the top. Stingrays have a sort of slimy-feeling underside, and they love to be petted. Very friendly animals they have there in the tank. No one violated the rules of conduct, and the animals behaved themselves and even let people feed them.
But therein lies the problem. Even trained zoologists sometimes are attacked by the animals they care for and/or study. It can become almost routine handling them, and if you're not careful you can get seriously hurt or killed. Irwin forgot that. It doesn't make him a bad man. He just got careless, and he paid for that carelessness with his life. Most stingray wounds are non-lethal. Their venom isn't powerful enough to kill a strong, adult human being. But Irwin was above the stingray that killed him, not below it. And its barb went through his ribcage and pierced his heart. In salt water. He died almost instantly.
No matter how good they are, people are only human and they make mistakes. Sometimes those mistakes prove fatal. Steve Irwin is an example of that. He brought the world this wonderful knowledge of wild animals, with a passion and dedication that most people on this planet simply don't have. But his death should be a lesson to everyone that we must never allow ourselves to lose respect for the animals we share this planet with. I think that's the best way we can honor his memory: never lose respect for animals.