This morning comes the news from Australia that Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin has died, apparently stabbed in the heart by a stingray barb.
A DOCTOR and witnesses have told of the desperate efforts to save Australian icon Steve Irwin after the Crocodile Hunter was struck in the chest by a stingray barb today.
Irwin, 44, died this morning after being fatally injured while filming a nature documentary off Queensland.
The news has shocked the nation and prompted a rush of tributes from politicians and the public alike.
What a shame… and contrary to what one might expect, it seems he wasn’t in the midst of a deliberate encounter with danger at the time:
In an sad twist, it has been reported that his new documentary was aimed at demystifying the stingray. However Mr Stainton said Irwin was filming other footage for a program with Bindi at the time of the attack.
I loved his show long before AC was born, and we often watched together when she got older. She knew the names of his wife and children, and to him I attribute her long-stated desire to visit Australia.
Was he reckless? Perhaps… but he was also energetic, passionate, and colorful; the world will be a less interesting place without him.
Two excellent posts about Steve Irwin’s death this morning are at The Moderate Voice and Ace of Spades.