You’ve probably heard the news already that crocodile hunter Steve Irwin was killed while filming in the ocean for a series called “Ocean’s Deadliest.” What really shocked me was that it wasn’t a shark or a poisonous jellyfish that killed the danger-loving showman, but a gentle stingray!
But, in a strange twist, it was one of the less dangerous creatures that he has confronted that ultimately claimed his life.
The ebullient environmentalist, one of Australia’s best known exports, was killed when he was lashed in the chest by a stingray’s poison barb while filming underwater on the Great Barrier Reef on Monday.
“We have probably lost one of the most passionate wildlife people on this earth,” said Irwin’s producer John Stainton, who was filming with Irwin when his heart was pierced by the stingray’s venomous tail.
Irwin’s overflowing passion for animals, reptiles, fish and other creatures — however deadly they might have been — was a lifelong affair that made him a household name across the world.
I went swimming with stingrays while on a Caribbean cruise with my family several years ago, and I’ve seen stingray tanks set up close to the ground at aquariums so that children can “pet” the gentle creatures. Stingrays are considered safe and almost tame, and it’s ironic that one killed a man so well known for grappling with fiercer animals.
Here are some pictures I took of stingrays while swimming with them and feeding them. They’re not thought of as dangerous at all, and cruise excursions usually offer a “swim with the stingrays” outing.
Whatever your opinion of this guy, it’s sad that he leaves behind a family. I still can’t imagine him getting killed by a stingray of all things.
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