<p>sad
but not unexpected
<a href=“http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20349989-2,00.html[/url]”>http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20349989-2,00.html</a></p>
<p>Holy cow! When did this happen? I hadn’t heard anything in the news.</p>
<p>Crikey, and very sad indeed. How could you not love the guy?!</p>
<p>But as my S just IM’d, was anyone surprised?</p>
<p>Well, we were surprised! Younger son loves all these outdoor/risk taking guys, so we end up watching a lot of Animal Planet and Discovery Channel. Steve Irwin seemed like a great guy – someone I would have liked to spend time with.</p>
<p>Just as an aside, my husband was stung on the foot by a sting ray several years ago. He said it was quite excrutiating. When I told him about Steve Irwin, he just said, “I knew those things were deadly!”</p>
<p>P.S. I don’t mean to be disrespectful – it really is a tragic end for a very interesting character.</p>
<p>Yeah, I feel bad. He deserved better than all the jokes that will follow. My kids sincerely liked watching his shows. And his family seems so nice, too.</p>
<p>I was also stung on the foot by a sting ray, and of course rushed to google sting ray venom afterwards. First, about 2000 people are stung every year, and about 5 die, usually children who are stung near the heart. The venom is more toxic than cobra venom and faster-acting, but is readily deactivated by heat, so if you’re stung on the foot, you can put your foot in a bucket of VERY hot water and the venom is deactivated. It was indeed right up there on my list of extremely painful experiences (with childbirth, to be honest).</p>
<p>I must say I was surprised it was a sting ray that got Erwin; I thought it would be a crocodile, since he seemed to underestimate their deadliness! Still, it’s sad for his wife and son.</p>
<p>(<a href=“http://www.discoveringhawaii.com/SF_Medicine/StingingMarineLife/StingRays.html[/url]”>About - Driving And Discovering Hawaii)</p>
<p>I was shocked and saddened as well. S watched “The Crocodile Hunter” for years. My heart goes out to his wife and kids.</p>
<p>I’ll bet lots of people who cruise now will stay away from the excursions that “Swim with the stingrays.” I had no idea they were deadly.</p>
<p>I know that here in Australia, as much as everyone is sorry that he died, and worry for his wife and kids, there is a certain feeling that at least now we will be able to destry that stereotype of Australia! Of course, no-one says crikey, no one rides kangaroos etc.
With the stingrays, they are normally no lethal so none is really concerned (yet), you can never tell though. There is a big fear of sharks, yet 1000s flock to the beaches in summer (Bondi Beach anyone?), event hough sharks have been sighted at these beaches.
I remeber when i was younger wre had to do a project on the shark attacks at Bondi Beach, and i was very surprised that people, though scared still went to the beach.
Basically it kisnt as if Stngrays are the only thing that kills here, Snakes/Bulebottles etc all injure many people each year, but we still go bush walking and swimming…</p>
<p>Claudia–we Northern hemisphere types did mostly realize he was hamming it up and probably not too typical. I think lots of us are fascinated by Australia, and do not think that you all are walking around in imminent danger all the time! :)</p>
<p>Yes Claudia, do give us yanks some credit. We realized that Irwin was an immense ham, and we howled and enjoyed every minute of it.</p>
<p>And I too, will no longer allow my child to pet the rays and skates at those “petting ponds” at some museums, zoos and science centers.</p>
<p>I’ve heard they remove the barbs of rays who reside in the petting ponds. Kind of like declawing a cat or taking the odor-causing glands from a skunk.</p>
<p>Motherdear, Thanks but I guessed that was the case. But I want to avoid promoting a false sense of security. Like the nitwit parents who let their kids feed bears at Yellowstone (did you see the film ‘Grizzly Man’ earlier this year, about the slightly unhinged bear-lover in Alaska?).</p>
<p>And you’ve probably seen unattentive parents let their kids rough-house the animals at the petting ponds and barnyards.</p>
<p>I really don’t understand why they keep referring to him as a great conservation educator. What exactly is educational about taunting wild animals?</p>