SYDNEY (Reuters) - Steve Irwin, the quirky Australian naturalist who won worldwide acclaim, has died in a marine accident off Australia's northeast coast, local media reported on Monday.


Queensland state government sources quoted by Australian Associated Press (AAP) said Irwin, 44, whose television show "The Crocodile Hunter" won international acclaim and popularized the phrase "Crikey," was believed to have been killed by a stingray barb that pierced his chest.

He was filming an underwater documentary off Port Douglas when the accident occurred, the report said.

Sky Television also reported that Irwin had been stung by a sting ray.

Australian emergency officials could not immediately confirm the reports.

Irwin won a global following for his daredevil antics but also triggered outrage in 2004 by holding his then one-month-old baby while feeding a snapping crocodile at his Australian zoo.

Is this real?

sad to say, but yes.

holy shit, that is crazy. wow.

no way

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/0 ... index.html

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- Steve Irwin, the Australian TV presenter known as the "Crocodile Hunter," has died after being stung in a marine accident off Australia's north coast.

Australian media reports say Irwin was diving in waters off Port Douglas, north of Cairns, when the incident happened on Monday morning.

Irwin was killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest, according to Cairns police sources. Irwin was filming an underwater documentary at the time.

Ambulance officers confirmed they attended a reef fatality Monday morning off Port Douglas, according to Australian media.

Queensland Police Services also confirmed Irwin's death and said his family had been notified.

Irwin, 44, was director of the Australian Zoo in Queensland.

He and his American-born wife Terri Irwin became popular figures on Australian and international television through Irwin's close handling of wildlife, most notably the capture of live crocodiles.

Irwin's enthusiastic approach to nature conservation and the environment won him a global following.

But his image suffered a setback in 2004 when he held his then one-month-old baby while feeding a crocodile at his Australian zoo.

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It is sad indeed. I don't know how i feel about this. It is sad to see anyone die. It seemed like this is what made him happy and learning and educating others about animals was his joy.
The other part of me thinks that this would eventually happen. And I also think it is irresponsible considering that you have a wife and child at home and are responsible for others' in your life and not just yourself.

Regardless, this is sad news.

Godspeed Croc Hunter.

he got that through his chest.


apparently, they are almost always fatal. wow, that's kinda sad.

Holy shit! I'm so bummed out.

i guess everyone was thinking it was gonna be a croc, he had it coming but RIP.

RIP Steve. But even though it's kinda shocking right now, with how wreckless he was, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

It's just really, really sad news. Especially for his Family. I feel so bad for Children who lose their parents when they're young or a teenager.

From Wikipedia:

Their stinger is a razor-sharp, barbed or serrated cartilaginous spine which grows from the ray's whip-like tail (like a fingernail). It is coated with a toxic venom. This gives them their common name of stingrays, but that name can also be used to refer to any poisonous ray.

Dasyatids do not attack aggressively, or even actively defend themselves. When threatened their primary reaction is to swim away. However, when they are attacked by predators or stepped on, the barbed stinger in their tail is mechanically whipped up, usually into the offending foot; it is also possible, although less likely, to be stung "accidentally" by brushing against the stinger. Contact with the stinger causes local trauma (from the cut itself), pain and swelling from the venom, and possible infection from parts of the stinger left in the wound, as well as from seawater entering the wound. It is possible for ray stings to be fatal if they sever major arteries, are in the chest or pelvic region, or are improperly treated. Their stingers are normally ineffective against their main predator, sharks.

Treatment for stings includes hot water (as hot as the victim can stand), which helps ease pain and break down the venom, and antibiotics. Vinegar or urine may or may not be successful in easing pain; neither cleans the wound properly. Other possible pain remedies include papain (papaya extract, contained in unseasoned powdered meat tenderizer), which may break down the protein of the toxins, though this may be more appropriate for jellyfish and similar stings. Pain normally lasts up to 48 hours but is most severe in the first 30-60 minutes and may be accompanied by nausea, fatigue, headaches, fever, and chills.

i just read in N&D that apparantly his wife is hiking solo in tasmania and can't be reached . that's fucking sad

Wow, that is really goddamn sad.

So the kids are without either parent for long stretches at a time?

possibly, i don't know much about their off camera life.

This really sucks. He was a good man in my opinion. Were they still making new crocodile hunter episodes out of curiousity?

I'm gonna lock this one and direct people to the N&D. It'd be the other way around, but let's face it, that'd be locking a rare Laura thread.

http://forums.theskyiscrape.com/vie ... hp?t=50642