ESPN.com - MORESPORTS - 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin killed by stingray while diving
CAIRNS, Australia -- Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray while filming off the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44.
Irwin was at Batt Reef, off the remote coast of northeastern Queensland state, shooting a segment for a series called "Ocean's Deadliest" when he swam too close to one of the animals, which have a poisonous barb on their tails, his friend and colleague John Stainton said.
"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 at the time.
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I know I couldn't believe this when I went to print our boarding passes, to get news like this while on vacation was shocking! (since I haven't been "connected to the world" for a week. Did you know his wife is from Eugene,OR, and his 2 kids! We were just thinking of getting cable again for fall/winter and I can't believe I won't be able to watch him on animal planet when we do! :( Of course my husband and his dad's response were both "that's what he gets", but still such a tragedy at 44 regardless of profession. :(
ReplyDeleteThis took a whole day to come through! We went to the zoo tody and they had a small display for him and a notebook, I guess for memorials. My daughter had a DVD of him with the Wiggles (an Australian kids group) and she loves it as much for the animals as for the songs.
ReplyDeleteIt is a tragedy, but such a freak accident!