Crocodile hunter dead (Controversy is in here)

[Gorzakk]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/20 ... 732439.htm

That Steve Irwin bloke.

I am going to break with tradition here people. I am NOT going to say how sad this is, in fact I am going to use this emoticon -

:cheers:

This dude used to go up to wild animals (who lets face it have enough problems) and then grab, pick up, poke, molest, and harass them. Not for scientific research but for entertainment. And his were not quality nature documentaries. His were NOT the kind of programs that show us the natural world in its true form but demonstrations of human idiocy. His were circus shows. And we watched for the same reason we watched motor sports - pretending its interesting, but secretly hoping for a disaster. And now he dies, at the hands of an animal that he was no doubt molesting.

Well everyone, we learn something from the great Steve Irwin. If you spend time harassing animals sooner or later you will loose your life to them. Well if you are reading this from the great jungle in the sky - we all already knew that Steve. Why you were prepared to sacrifice yourself to demostrate this is something for which we can all be less than grateful.

/rant

[DW_damn_weasel]

Well, I'm not :cheers: but what goes around comes around, it was a matter of time.
And I do agree with Gorz, he was molesting animal all around the world, in other hand he did some good stuff for conservation of wildlife. I think Southpark did a good parody about his show in one episode, OMG it was so funny, if you are a Southpark fan you will know what I’m talking about.

[kaeolian]

I dont know I mean the guy did do some stuff that I dont approve of. But at the end of the day the amount of my friends kids that loved the man was huge. He seemed to capture there attention whilst "teaching" about wild life, some thing which seems to be very hard to do nower days.

A sad loss of life, Nature 1 ozzys 0

[Gorzakk]

One more thing.
That HIS OWN BABY in his arms. For me thats a phone call to child protection services.

[DW_WailofSuicide]

I dunno man. I agree with you on the point that he put on a show of getting animals to nearly kill him, but I don't think you spend your entire life doing that for no reason. He may have been a showman notorious for getting himself into shenanigans -- I don't deny that -- but he also definitely loved animals and he was probably the best promoter of the modern era in raising interest in and respect for the natural world. Even though this was inevitable with the endless numbers of risks he took, it's still sad to see someone so enthusiastic, courageous and yet humble go. At least no one can say he lived a dull life.

[zeus]

He was a huge conservationist. He was also the director of the Australian Zoo. If anyone here does 1/1000th of the work he did for animals I would be very surprised.

I think that this thread is in poor taste.

[DW_e_aLpHa]

- when your life is in the arms of your passion , it ends for your passion -

[Fez_Whatley]

[/quote]He was a huge conservationist. He was also the director of the Australian Zoo. If anyone here does 1/1000th of the work he did for animals I would be very surprised.[quote]

I think that this thread is in poor taste.

I agree %100.
Gorzakk I'm a fan of yours but stop while you are ahead.

[Gorzakk]

I am entitled to my opinion fellas. If we all thought the same the world would be boring. :thumbleft:

Dudes, take a good look at that picture of him. That caused such a controversy that it led the the making of new laws in Australia making it illegal to take infants into crocodile enclosures...

http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Ste ... 83142.html

He claimed he was giving his one month old a lesson in nature. He was in fact showboating for the crowd, making the scene more dangerous and exciting for them, when in fact most of them found it abhorrent, even horrific. I do find that picture sickening. A helpless human baby just a metre away from the jaws of one of the most dangerous animals on earth.

I love animals. I am a conservationist myself, and I can recognise that he wasnt one. Running up to wild animals and poking them with sticks, then turning to the camera and saying "Isnt she a beauty!" is not what people interested in conservation do. Dont confuse what this man did with efforts to protect whats left of the natural world. He was charismatic and likeable. He went through the brush in short pants and drove a landrover, he also seemed really enthusiastic about the creatures he introduced us too. But he taught NOTHING we dont already know. If you poke a crocodile minding its own business it will aggressively turn on you. Ohhh and it has lots of sharp teeth. We already knew that, but harrasing wild animals in the way he did was not education, conservation or anything positive. It was pure titilation for the TV camera.

I watch a lot of animal planet. Anyone seen Animal Precinct? That program rips me up. We follow people investigating animal abuse. Cats, dogs, birds, horses, you name it pushed beyond their limits by heartless owners. We see the animals in a dreadful state and then they are either rescued (or more usually) killed. Sooo often there are pit bulls on that show. Got for "street cred" value. Trained to be vicious and abused by their twisted owners. Then they are taken from those dick heads, determine unsuitable to be pets and put down.

:sad7: :cussing:

If I went to the animal protection folks on that show, and told them "there is a guy with his one month old son in his arms poking crocodiles with a stick to show off to his mates" that person would be fined (maybe even prisoned), have his kids taken from him and be banned from owning or working with animals ever again.

His antics there, added to allegations of him endangering wildlife in Antarctica, eventually led to his programs being dropped from animal planet.

http://www.allamericanspeakers.com/news ... /index.php

EDIT: Incidentally it was a bunch of REAL conservationinsts (namely Greenpeace) who were on his back over that Antarctica incident:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3896685.stm

[Zax_Gentoo_Box]

OH STEVE! WHY DIDYA HAVE TO GO?! I watched that one movie with him in it. I forget what it's called, but it was alright. I always figgered he'd die by something like a flying hippo or something not a sting ray.