Steve 'crocodile hunter' Irwin dead

[morganwindsor 0]

Sorry posted this in the wrong spot-

THE CROCODILES ARE CRYING

 

Endless visions fill my head – this man – as large as life

And instantly my heart mourns for his angels and his wife

Because the way I see Steve Irwin – just put everything aside

It comes back to his family – it comes back to his pride

 

His animals inclusive – Crikey – light the place with love!

Shine his star with everything he fought to rise above

The crazy-man of Khaki from the day he left the pouch

Living out his dream and in that classic ‘Stevo’ crouch

 

Exploding forth with character and redefining cheek

It’s one thing to be honoured as a champion unique

It’s one thing to have microphones and spotlight cameras shoved

It’s another to be taken in and genuinely loved

 

But that was where he had it right – I guess he always knew

From his fathers’ modest reptile park and then Australia Zoo

We cringed at times and shook our heads – but true to natures call

There was something very Irwin in the make up of us all

 

Yes the more I care to think of it – the more he had it right

If you’re going to make a difference – make it big and make it bright!

Yes - he was a lunatic! Yes - he went head first!

But he made the world feel happy with his energetic burst

 

A world so large and loyal that it’s hard to comprehend

I doubt we truly count the warmth until life meets an end

To count it now I say a prayer with words of inspiration

May the spotlight shine forever on his dream for conservation

 

…My daughter broke the news to me – my six year old in tears

It was like she’d just turned old enough to show her honest fears

I tried to make some sense of it but whilst her Dad was trying

His little girl explained it best…she said “The crocodiles are crying”

 

Their best mate’s up in heaven now – the crocs up there are smiling!

And as sure as flowers, poems and cards and memories are piling

As sure as we’ll continue with the trademarks of his spiel

Of all the tributes worthy – he was rough…but he was real

 

As sure as ‘Crikey!’ fills the sky

I think we’ll miss ya Steve…goodbye

 

RUPERT McCALL 2006

[damian 0]

mantas - I agree with your attributes, I have said them before on this forum more than once (other topics). Your original post did not convey that message, but I now understand that it is what you meant.

 

Anyway, I have got far too off topic. Poking fun at dumb "Aussie-ness" is fun, but I will leave it alone for now..... and wait patiently for David Boon to die.

[Ocean11 0]

By picking up and chucking animals around unnecessarily, you could say he lacked honesty, compassion, and respect (in this case he lacks honesty about his motives - he's not helping the animals, he's appealing to knuckle draggers who wouldn't watch it if not for that.) By claiming that people who don't like him because they're really so similar to him lacks honesty and respect.

 

I only saw a very little bit of him, but that was enough to make that judgement.

 

But whatever. If you want to have your celebrity secular saints, I daresay you'll continue to venerate them. People who aren't inclined to veneration will see their faults. Irwin may actually have done a lot for wildlife, which is good. The truer that is, surely the easier it is to admit that his contribution wasn't entirely unalloyed.

 

As for wrestling with crocodiles, it's not that much different from watching Professional Wrestling. You can see old Stevo exaggerating his little dives and stuff. But if that's what turns you on...

[thursday 1]

This is from CNN. I find this disturbing:

 

-------------------------------

 

BRISBANE, Australia (AP) -- At least 10 stingrays have been found dead and mutilated on Australia's eastern coast since "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin was killed by one of the animals last week, an official said Tuesday, prompting concerns of revenge attacks on the normally docile fish.

 

The popular television star was killed last week when a stingray barb pierced his chest as he filmed a TV show off Australia's Great Barrier Reef, prompting an outpouring of grief in Australia and among his fans worldwide.

 

The dead stingrays have been discovered on two beaches in Queensland state, including two that were found Tuesday with their tails lopped off, state fisheries department official Wayne Sumpton said.

 

Sumpton said fishermen who inadvertently catch the diamond-shaped rays sometimes cut off their tails to avoid being stung, but the practice is uncommon.

 

Michael Hornby, the executive director of Irwin's conservation group Wildlife Warriors, said he was concerned the rays were being hunted and killed in retaliation for the TV star's death.

 

"It may be some sort of retribution, or it may be fear from certain individuals, or it just may be yet another callous act toward wildlife," he said.

 

He said killing stingrays was "not what Steve was about."

 

"We are disgusted and disappointed that people would take this sort of action to hurt wildlife," he said.

 

Stingrays are usually shy, unobtrusive fish that rummage along the sea bottom for food or burrow into the sand. When stepped on or otherwise frightened, a serrated spine up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) long in the animal's tail flares up.

 

The spines emit toxins that can kill small creatures and cause excruciating pain in humans. Few people die from the poison, but the spines can badly tear flesh and the wounds are prone to infections, including tetanus.

 

Hornby said people should treat stingrays with caution, but "there is still no need to ... kill or mutilate these important animals."

[damian 0]

This is the media now jumping on the other swollen toe of public manipulation. It is somewhat difficult for the average suburban bogan to go out and purposely catch ten sting rays, although certainly not impossible if you are fishing in sandy shallows along a beach or estuary at dusk. I would often go spinning for flathead and on some evenings I would foul hook a ray the size of a dinner plate and disturb at least three as I shuffled along flat footed in waist deep water. But even if every second dimwit in Australia wanted to catch one, they couldn't. Most likely is that an isolated group of fisherman caught some small rays and stupidly chopped off their tails as a poor taste joke. I reckon I saw a dead ray every single day I walked along the length of a beach for a surf. Beach fisherman catch and kill things all the time, always have. In some southern towns, a beach fisherman that accidently caught a few rays might take them around to the cray fishing wharf and give/sell it to the boats to use as bait in their crayfish pots. Suddenly hyping it up 'Australian retribution killings' is pretty stupid, but quite effective at prodding the nerve of 'the other camp'.

 

I didn't mind the little rays buried in the sand, even though they gave me a fright when I disturbed them with my sand shoe. The things I disliked more than the small rays were these ugly flabby looking sting ray imposters that had no tail but gave me small electric shocks through my sodden shoe when I stood on them (which was necessary to get the hook out of their body after hauling them ashore).

[kintaro 0]

Every now and then a shark eats a tourist in Hawaii. It's always followed by a savage campaign to hunt down and kill as many great whites as possible for about a week. They cut open their bellies and look for human parts (and rings, etc.). It's quite sad actually. And for the native Hawaiians who's aumakua (sort of a spiritual ancester in animal/fish or insect form) it's very rude. Stupidity! It solves nothing.

[damian 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Kintaro:
Every now and then a shark eats a tourist in Hawaii. It's always followed by a savage campaign to hunt down and kill as many great whites as possible for about a week. They cut open their bellies and look for human parts (and rings, etc.).

Hogswash mate. Great Whites? I doubt many people would be targeting great whites in Hawaii after a shark attack. I doubt any one kills any great whites at all, let alone cut open their bellies.

I bet there are not many great white sightings, let alone attacks in Hawaiian waters. My bet is that Tiger sharks are by far the most dangerous and common attack sharks in Hawaii. I bet a great white has only ever been filmed once in Hawaiian waters. In fact, I bet there are only 10 confirmed sightings of great whites in Hawaii. I bet the primary food source of great whites: seals and sea lions, are in very small supply in Hawaiian waters. I bet the only great white caught by fishermen was in 1961 and that 1969 was the year of the only attack by a great white in Hawaii.

You have been watching too many dvds.

On the flip side, up around where Mantas lives, the local men catch baby great whites using fishing rods from the beach whilst sitting in a seat attached to the bumper bar of their 4wd (thats an SUV). Using a surfboard they paddle the baited hook 100m off the shore and then paddle back in, get in the seat and wait for a bite. (incidentally, those guys make Irwin look like a intellectual pussy)

[bushpig 0]

spud, you really do have too much time at work to sit there and look up this stuff and then write your spiels on SJ! Keep it up!

[kintaro 0]

Hogwash? For someone who has never been to Hawaii your self prolcaimed exprtise is more than a bit annoying. Great Whites migrate from the Californian shores to Maui and Kaho'olawe every year. That is always where the attacks take place..about one a year. The hunts that follow are real. It is a mystery what they are eating but best guess is Hawaiian monk seals and honu. I see this on the local news every year, not on DVD. For your info spud, Hilo Bay is loaded with hammer heads and tiger sharks are prevelent off the shores of most of the islands. Great Whites are seasonal...so are whales or do you also disbelieve whales swim the Hawaiian waters as well?

[damian 0]

It was supposed to be annoying

 

 Quote:

Originally posted by Kintaro:

Great Whites migrate from the Californian shores to Maui and Kaho'olawe every year. That is always where the attacks take place..about one a year.

Either way mate, I can't find one source on the internet to verify your claim of annual great white attacks in Hawaii. I don't doubt they migrate at all, in fact that is output from recent research.

 

It seems you better send a letter to the dudes at the National Marine Fisheries Service and tell them about all these attacks.

 

 Quote:

There are two confirmed reports of great white attacks on people in the Islands, according to a running tally of shark attacks kept by National Marine Fisheries Service biologist George Balazs.

 

In May 1926, a man named William Goins disappeared while swimming at Hale'iwa, and his remains were later found inside a 12 1/2-foot great white caught off Kahuku. In March 1969, surfer Licius Lee was bitten on the leg off Makaha by a shark that was identified as a great white from bite marks on his surfboard. A dead whale had been on a nearby beach about that time.

[kintaro 0]

Well, Hawaii is a little place mate, sometimes it helps to be from there to understand what goes on there. I wouldn't pretend to understand what goes on in Australia. It'd be foolish. I ate curry for dinner last night. It's odd, but I can't find that info anywhere on the internet. I guess some things just don't get posted. I can assure you le Spud, the year I moved to Japan (1998) a US mainland lady got eaten by a greeat white on the Lahaina side of Maui. I haven't seen the news on the internet. I assure you it happened. Go figure!

[farquah 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by JellyBelly:
I think Irwins programs had a great effect on many people, for sure.

I may be wrong but didn't a huge amount of the money made from said TV programs get put back into the zoo and other conservation issues?

Been a busy thread this! been away for a while and you miss it all!!

Steve Irwin set up this conservastion fund which a freind of mine actually recieved direct help from in Africa working with elephants. WIldlife Warriors Worldwide

Although now independant from them he was the founder of it in its infancy and the Australian Zoo covers alla dmin costs allowing it to achieve some great stuff. Check out some of the past and present activities it deals with.

[damian 0]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Kintaro:
Well, Hawaii is a little place mate, sometimes it helps to be from there to understand what goes on there. I wouldn't pretent to understand what goes on in Austratlia. It'd be foolish. I ate curry for dinner last night. It's odd, but I can't find that info anywhere on the internet. I guese some things just don't get posted. I can assure you le Spud, the year I moved to Japan (1998) a US mainland lady got eaten by a greeat white on the Lahaina side of Maui. I haven't seen the news on the internet. I assure you it happened. Go figure!

I guess these flunkers have no idea what's up when it comes to Great White shark attacks America. They stupidly think that there has been only one attack, no fatalities.

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/White/USA.htm

My original proposition stands. There is not one great white attack per year in Hawaii. There is one confirmed and one suspected attacks by great whites in the last 100 years. I base that statement on published scientific data, not from living there.

You were wrong last time about Pipe being Sunset beach and you are wrong this time as well. Sorry to be annoying, but why can't someone who doesn't live there have any opinion at all? Hawaiians appear to be very protective of who is and isn't allowed to say something about the place. If you research how many great white attacks have taken place in Australia then I will believe your conclusion so long as you show the reliable source. To refute you on the basis that you have never lived there is silly.

Eating curry is not news worthy. being eaten by a great white when there had been only one scientifically recorded attack in the last century is news worthy. Yet it isn't in the news, anywhere, not even the Hawaiian newspapers. Nothing. "Go figure".

No mention of a great white here, despite a police investigation and court case.

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/May/12/ln/ln28a.html

I don't doubt that the attack took place, I can even find mention of it in the media, her body was never found. But there is no reported suggestion that it was a great white.Even if your incredibly rare event was for some reason totally ignored by local media, it still isn't one attack per year. Its three in a century. What about the other attacks that happen every year?

Jesus man, give it up. Just admit you made an excited typo when you said "great white shark attacks" rather than simply "shark attacks"

[kintaro 0]

You can have all the opinions you want. They just aren't valid. The only thing you know about Hawaii is what you were able to see in Surfer Magazine or able to look up on the internet. Trust me, there is a greater depth to the place. You will never get it. It's that simple.

 

 

And BTW, if you scroll above, you'll see I mentioned shark attacks...what followed was always a hunt for great whites. Forgive the Hawaiians for their ignorance, but I think they wanted to go after the highest profile killer in the sea to assure tourists that Hawaii is a safe place to visit.

 

I didn't say "great white shark attacks" I said human attacks on great whites.

[indosnm 0]

Spud,

I know I should type it but can I just say

Rollingonthefloorpissingmyself !

 

Kintaro,

Great white attacks are world wide news especially in the surf media, even if it was JUST a swimmer.

I'm not sure if whites do go to Hawaii as I haven't looked it up (I don't doubt it), but I do know they do travel from Sth. Africa to as far as Perth and maybe futher towards my fav surfing grounds down near Pt. Sinclair.

[Mantas 3]

from Le Spud

 Quote:

On the flip side, up around where Mantas lives, the local men catch baby great whites using fishing rods from the beach whilst sitting in a seat attached to the bumper bar of their 4wd (thats an SUV). Using a surfboard they paddle the baited hook 100m off the shore and then paddle back in, get in the seat and wait for a bite. (incidentally, those guys make Irwin look like a intellectual pussy)

One of those guys lives at the end of my street.

All done for scientific research.

 

Very noble chaps !

[Mantas 3]

 Quote:

By picking up and chucking animals around unnecessarily, you could say he lacked honesty, compassion, and respect

Oceans, How exactlly did he chuck these animals. Did he swing the snakes around and around his head and then release it like a hammer thrower ? What about the Goannas ,did he throw them much like you would throw a paper airoplane, just to see how far he could get it ?

Please. If you can't post something intelligent, why bother ?

[Ocean11 0]

Mantas, it's Ocean without an 's'.

 

And he performed all sorts of unnecessary goonery with animals, of the sort for which I would rebuke my kid very sharply if he tried it. That's the kind of chucking around I'm talking about. If you're not intelligent enough to understand what I post, don't bother reading it.

 

You know, you don't see Richard Attenborough picking up poisonous snakes by the tail, because Richard Attenborough is smart enough to know that conservation of animals also involves keeping a respectful distance, even if the thing doesn't actually bite. It may not give you a kick watching it, but there is a certain integrity to it all the same.

[Mantas 3]

Back up your statment with an example Ocean (with no 's')

 

Don't you think that these animals might just have a slightly tougher time in the wild during the the course of there normal day than what Steve did to them ?

Would you take back all the millions of dollars and countless hours of devotion to projects he funded , just so a few animals weren't slighty inconvenienced for a few minutes.

[Ocean11 0]

Who knows how it all tots up in the end Mantas? I certainly don't.

 

For me, it all comes down to a question of taste. Steve Irwin was not to my taste. I'm sure he did no lasting harm, and did lasting good. But still, I thought he was a prick. I might have kept that to myself if there had not been a sudden move to beatify the man as soon as he slipped on his particular banana peel. I don't see him as a saint, and I tend to agree with Germaine Greer's viewpoint, imperfect as it may be. I shan't consent to her beatification when she dies either.

[snobee 0]

OC- How about Attenboroughs beatin-it-fication?

 

Worthy of a few hail marys(ies) for devotion to seriousness and doin the rite fing.

[Ocean11 0]

Attenborough has done nothing to offend my taste. But the totally uncritical acclaim that he receives in some quarters does.

 

However, when his editiorial decisions have been criticised, he defended them intelligently. This is to my taste.

 

Attenborough hasn't been killed by his subject yet, and that's another point in his favour. For humanity to continue valuing wildlife, we're going to have to survive in the face of it. Attenborough has shown himself adept at that. Stevo hasn't.

[Mantas 3]

Your certainly entitalled to your opinion Ocean.

But Please don't confuse "your taste' with what cannot be denide.

Steve irwin was a great man that did far greater things of good to this world than you and I . Credit where credits due.

Beatifying is what we do to all people who pass on. famous or not. It's nothing new.

 

Germaine greer is an old cow who has only ever lived for herself and wouldn't have a clue about real life ,how could anyone place value in her comments.

[Ocean11 0]

> Beatifying is what we do to all people who pass on. famous or not. It's nothing new.

 

Except some of us don't. Hence maybe the heat on this thread. Some of us think it's stupid, however venerable it may be.

[nzlegend 1]

 Quote:

Originally posted by Ocean11:
You know, you don't see Richard Attenborough picking up poisonous snakes by the tail, because Richard Attenborough is smart enough to know that conservation of animals also involves keeping a respectful distance, even if the thing doesn't actually bite.

Richard Attenborough is an actor (and a Baron no less) and therefore has no expertise in animal handling, although in one of his movies he portrayed a wealthy entrepreneur who through the miracles of science revived dinosaurs and he certainly wouldnt have wanted to handle almost all of them. (I wonder how Steve "Larrikin" Irwin would have contained himself around dinosaurs?)

His younger brother Sir David "Decorum" Attenborough the naturalist with the posh accent and hushed, excited style of speech delivery is the Attenborough you are after.

Interestingly Irwin and Attenborough shared something in common other than wildlife documentaries, both have been intensively parodied for their styles of delivery.