AUSTRALIA: Australian crocodile hunter and TV celebrity Steve Irwin killed by stingray

Steve Irwin, the quirky Australian naturalist who won worldwide acclaim as TV's khaki-clad 'Crocodile Hunter', was killed by a stingray barb through the chest on Monday (September 4, 2006) while diving off the country's northeast coast. Witnesses and emergency officials said the freak accident happened while Irwin, aged 44, was filming an underwater documentary off Port Douglas in northern Queensland. A helicopter rushed paramedics to nearby Low Isles where Irwin was taken for treatment, but he was dead before they arrived, police said. Toxicology experts said Irwin's death was more likely to be a result of the physical injury to his chest than the stingray's venom. A stingray's strongly serrated barb can grow up to 20cm long and is capable of tearing and rendering flesh. His manager, John Stainton, told reporters: "Steve decided to...decided to shoot a couple of segments for our new TV show that he's doing with his daughter Bindi, and with the cameraman went out unto the reef to do a little sequence on stringrays. He'd come over the top of a stringray and a barb...the stingray's barb went up and went into his chest and put a hole into his heart." Known around the world for his catchphrase "crikey" during close encounters with wild animals, Irwin made almost 50 documentaries. He became almost a global industry generating books, interactive games and even toy action figures. News of Irwin's death shocked many Australians, while government and opposition lawmakers rushed to issue statements of condolence. "Well I am quite shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sad and untimely and freakish death. It's a huge loss to Australia. He was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. He brought joy and entertainment and excitement to millions of people. He was a one-off character," Australian Prime Minister John Howard, said. Born on February 22, 1962 in Melbourne, Irwin moved to tropical Queensland where his parents ran a small reptile and fauna park. He grew up near crocodiles, trapping and removing them from populated areas and releasing them in his parent's park. He took over the park in 1991 and renamed it the Australia Zoo. Irwin became famous for his seemingly death-defying skill with wild animals, including crocodiles and snakes. He met his U.S.-born wife Terri at the zoo and the footage of their honeymoon -- which they spent trapping crocodiles -- formed the basis of his first Crocodile Hunter documentary. Later shows had a worldwide audience of 200 million, or 10 times the population of Australia. Terri became Irwin's business partner and frequent on-screen collaborator. They had two children, Bindi Sue and Bob Clarence. "It is hard to believe that he is gone," said one Australian after reading about Irwin's death on the Network 7 building's ticker in Sydney. Irwin won a global following for his dare-devil antics, but also triggered outrage in 2004 by holding his then one-month-old son while feeding a snapping crocodile at his zoo. The Crocodile Hunter series ended after he was criticised for the incident with his young son and also for allegedly disturbing whales, seals and penguins while filming in Antarctica. Irwin boasted that he had never been bitten by a venomous snake or seriously bitten by a crocodile, saying that his worst injuries had been inflicted by parrots.

ITN Source | September 4, 2006

Tags:. .helicopter. .diving. .seals. .encounters. .tropical