"Crocodile Hunter Dead"?

[jada1989]

:( :( I cannot believe it, how very sad. :( :(

[Jolie Rouge]

Discovery Communications, Inc. Mourns Tragic Loss of Steve Irwin

Statement from Billy Campbell, President, Discovery Networks, U.S. Discovery Communications, Inc.

http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/crochunter/steve/statement.html

Our entire company is deeply saddened by the tragic and sudden loss of Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter. Steve was beloved by millions of fans and animal lovers around the world and was one of our planet's most passionate conservationists. He has graced our air since October 1996 and was essential in building Animal Planet into a global brand.

Steve was killed during a filming expedition on the Great Barrier Reef. While we are still collecting specific details, it was a rare accident in which Steve swam over a stingray and was stung by its barb in his chest. A doctor on board Croc One, Steve's research vessel, was unable to resuscitate Steve and by the time he was reached by the rescue helicopter he had passed away.

DCI Founder and Chairman, John Hendricks said, "Steve was a larger than life force. He brought joy and learning about the natural world to millions and millions of people across the globe. He was a true friend to all of us at Discovery Communications. We extend our thoughts and prayers to Terri, Bindi and Bob Irwin as well as to the incredible staff and many friends Steve leaves behind."

DCI CEO and President, Judith McHale said, "I don't think we will ever get over the loss of Steve Irwin, a human being of enormous heart, irrepressible enthusiasm and dedication to everything he touched."

Steve's loss has been felt around the world, evident by the hundreds of heartfelt condolences that have already flooded into Steve's fan site on AnimalPlanet.com.

To honor Steve and the enormous contribution he made to the world and to our company, DCI will rename the garden space in front of Discovery's world headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, the "Steve Irwin Memorial Sensory Garden."

DCI is looking at the creation of the Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter Fund, which we'll affectionately call "The Crikey Fund" to honor Steve's passion and exuberance for conservation and the animal kingdom. This fund will allow people from across the globe to make contributions in Steve's honor to support wildlife protection, education and conservation. The fund in addition to contributions by DCI will also aid Steve's Australia Zoo in Breewah, Australia as well as educational support for Bindi and Bob Irwin.

Right now, our focus is on Terri and the children. We will keep you informed as plans unfold to pay tribute to our beloved Steve Irwin.

To learn more about Steve Irwin's sudden and tragic death, visit Discovery News
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/09/04/irwin_hum.html

'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin Killed by Stingray
Associated Press


Sept. 4, 2006 — Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray while filming off the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44.

Irwin was at Batt Reef, off the remote coast of northeastern Queensland state, shooting a segment for a series called "Ocean's Deadliest" when he swam too close to one of the animals, which have a poisonous barb on their tails, his friend and colleague John Stainton said.

"He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said Stainton, who was on board Irwin's boat at the time.




Crew members aboard the boat, Croc One, called emergency services in the nearest city, Cairns, and administered CPR as they rushed the boat to nearby Low Isle to meet a rescue helicopter. Medical staff pronounced Irwin dead when they arrived a short time later, Stainton said.

Irwin was famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife and his catchword "Crikey!" in his television program "Crocodile Hunter." First broadcast in Australia in 1992, the program was picked up by the Discovery network, catapulting Irwin to international celebrity.

"Steve was beloved by millions of fans and animal lovers around the world and was one of our planet's most passionate conservationists," said Billy Campbell, president of Discovery Networks, in a statement available on the Web at http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/crochunter/steve/statement.html .

He rode his image into a feature film, 2002's "The Crocodile Hunters: Collision Course" and developed the wildlife park that his parents opened, Australia Zoo, into a major tourist attraction.

"The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest dads on the planet," Stainton told reporters in Cairns. "He died doing what he loved best and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind. He would have said, 'Crocs Rule!'"

Prime Minister John Howard, who hand-picked Irwin to attend a gala barbecue to honor President Bush when he visited in 2003, said he was "shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden, untimely and freakish death."

"It's a huge loss to Australia," Howard told reporters. "He was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. He brought joy and entertainment and excitement to millions of people."

Irwin, who made a trademark of hovering dangerously close to untethered crocodiles and leaping on their backs, spoke in rapid-fire bursts with a thick Australian accent and was almost never seen without his uniform of khaki shorts and shirt and heavy boots.

His ebullience was infectious and Australian officials sought him out for photo opportunities and to promote Australia internationally.

Irwin's public image was dented, however, in 2004 when he caused an uproar by holding his infant son in one arm while feeding large crocodiles inside a zoo pen. Irwin claimed at the time there was no danger to the child, and authorities declined to charge Irwin with violating safety regulations.

Later that year, he was accused of getting too close to penguins, a seal and humpback whales in Antarctica while making a documentary. Irwin denied any wrongdoing, and an Australian Environment Department investigation recommended no action be taken against him.

Stingrays have a serrated, toxin-loaded barb, or spine, on the top of their tail. The barb, which can be up to 10 inches long, flexes if a ray is frightened. Stings usually occur to people when they step on or swim too close to a ray and can be excruciatingly painful but are rarely fatal, said University of Queensland marine neuroscientist Shaun Collin.




Collin said he suspected Irwin died because the barb pierced under his ribcage and directly into his heart.

"It was extraordinarily bad luck. It's not easy to get spined by a stingray and to be killed by one is very rare," Collin said.

News of Irwin's death spread quickly, and tributes flowed from all quarters of society.

At Australia Zoo at Beerwah, south Queensland, floral tributes were dropped at the entrance, where a huge fake crocodile gapes. Drivers honked their horns as they passed.

"Steve, from all God's creatures, thank you. Rest in peace," was written on a card with a bouquet of native flowers.

"We're all very shocked. I don't know what the zoo will do without him. He's done so much for us, the environment and it's a big loss," said Paula Kelly, a local resident and volunteer at the zoo, after dropping off a wreath at the gate.

Stainton said Irwin's American-born wife Terri, from Eugene, Ore., had been informed of his death, and had told their daughter Bindi Sue, 8, and son Bob, who will turn 3 in December.

The couple met when she went on vacation in Australia in 1991 and visited Irwin's Australia Zoo; they were married six months later. Sometimes referred to as the "Crocodile Huntress," she costarred on her husband's television show and in his 2002 movie.

[Jolie Rouge]

Irwin's wife gets tape of his death
By MERAIAH FOLEY, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jan 3, 8:53 PM ET

SYDNEY, Australia - Authorities gave the video of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin's fatal encounter with a stingray to his family and destroyed all copies to prevent if from being made public, an Australian state coroner said Thursday.

Irwin, 44, died on Sept. 4 after being stabbed in the chest by the stingray's poisonous barb while filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef off the Queensland coast.

Queensland State Coroner Michael Barnes said authorities gave the original video to his wife, Terri, in late December and destroyed other copies, which had been produced by police to assist with their investigation.

"The footage has been the subject of widespread media interest and it was wholly appropriate that we took all possible steps to ensure something of such a personal and tragic nature did not fall into the wrong hands," Barnes said in a statement. "This is in line with the wishes of the Irwin family."

Speculation had been rife that footage of Irwin's death could eventually be posted on the Internet.

But in an interview with U.S. television last September, Terri Irwin, originally of Eugene, Ore., said the video would never see the light of day.

"What purpose would that serve?" she told ABC's Barbara Walters, adding that she herself had not seen the video.

Irwin's friend and business partner, John Stainton, has seen the film. He told Walters he never wants to see it again and doesn't want anyone else to see it, either. "It's just a horrible piece of film tape," he said.

The death of the exuberant television entertainer and conservationist set off an unprecedented outpouring of grief. Tens of thousands traveled to Irwin's wildlife park near Brisbane to drop off flowers and other mementoes, many of them signing khaki shirts instead of a condolence book.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070104/ap_en_tv/australia_crocodile_hunter

[loveswolfs]

I sure hope the family has it locked up. And that the cops did destroy all the other copies.

[pepperpot]

I wonder if the tape would've had some use for animal behavior study purposes..Something like that doesn't happen all too often and rarely caught on tape, but I absolutely understand why she would want it destroyed.

[PrincessArky]

I know that Terri will never let anyone get her hands on this thank goodness. Our family is still not over Steve being killed. Last week I got all the articles from my mil from Australia, I managed to read a few but that was all I could do, put the rest back for later. It has just hurt us all so deeply especially my kids

[buddy72192]

it's pretty weird how he died!

[Willow]

I can't believe it's been four months already. :( I know that if it was my husband I don't think I would want to see it. I wouldn't want that to be my last memory of him being alive.

[Jolie Rouge]

Last Croc Hunter show won't have death
Sat Jan 6, 11:15 AM ET

BRISBANE, Australia - "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin's final program is complete, but the show about the sea's deadliest creatures will not include footage from the day he was killed by a stingray, his manager said Saturday.

Irwin died Sept. 4, minutes after a poisonous barb from a stingray's tail pierced his chest while he was snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef in northern Australia shooting footage for two projects, including one titled "Ocean's Deadliest."

Irwin's final moments were caught on video tape, and were used in a police investigation and coroner's examination of the death.

The original tape was returned to Irwin's widow, Terri, and all copies were destroyed, Queensland state Coroner Michael Barnes said earlier this week.

Terri Irwin and close family friend and Irwin's manager John Stainton, one of few to have seen the footage, have both said it will never be shown publicly.

Stainton on Saturday said "Ocean's Deadliest" had been completed in line with Irwin's contract with the Discovery Channel, and would be shown for the first time in the U.S. on Jan. 21.

The show includes footage taken in the week and days before Irwin's death.

"Anything to do with the day that he died, that film is not available," Stainton said.

Finishing the program together was especially difficult because of Irwin's death, Stainton said.

"The documentary was commissioned, we finished it and it's going to air," Stainton said. "It's been a long and arduous saga ... an emotionally charged time to do an edit on a documentary that did have a deadline, and we did have to honor the deadline," he said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070106/ap_en_tv/australia_crocodile_hunter

[Jolie Rouge]

Widow says Irwin death tape destroyed
1 hour, 17 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES - All footage of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin's death has been destroyed, his widow said. Terri Irwin told TV's "Access Hollywood" in an interview airing this week that the tape was destroyed when it was no longer needed for the investigation into his death. "There's standard protocols for examining certain evidence and that's no longer necessary, so we're very proud that Steve's last documentary is going to air and that's his last footage with wildlife," she said.

Steve Irwin died Sept. 4 in Australia after a stingray's tail pierced his chest while he was shooting two projects, including "Ocean's Deadliest" for the Discovery Channel.

Queensland, Australia, state Coroner Michael Barnes said last week that the original tape was returned to Terri Irwin, and all copies had been destroyed.

When asked by "Access Hollywood" about reports that she kept that tape, she responded, "Oh no, all footage has been destroyed."

Steve Irwin's manager, John Stainton, said Saturday that the completed "Ocean's Deadliest" — minus footage from the day Irwin was killed — would be screened in the United States on Jan. 21.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070112/ap_en_ce/crocodile_hunter_tapes



Crocodile Hunter's daughter seeks fame in US as Bindi, the Jungle Girl
By Kathy Marks in Sydney
Published: 09 January 2007 [/i]

Four months after the death of her "Crocodile Hunter" father, eight-year-old Bindi Irwin is poised to step into his shoes, embarking on a high-profile tour of the US designed to launch her showbusiness career.

Despite her tender age, Bindi appears to have coped remarkably well with the loss of her father, Steve, who died minutes after his heart was pierced by a stingray's barb while he was filming on the Great Barrier Reef in September last year.

Irwin was famous for his daring, up-close antics with dangerous wildlife, particularly crocodiles, and his daughter is already carving the same reputation.

Later this year the Discovery Kids network will screen a 26-part series that she has made called Bindi, the Jungle Girl.

In her home country of Australia, child psychologists have warned that the little girl is not being given space to grieve. They also suggest that she would benefit from a childhood out of the spotlight.

But her American mother, Terri, insists that all Bindi wants to do is perform. She even gave an eloquent speech at her father's memorial service, held at his Queensland wildlife park within days of his death.

While in the US, Bindi will make a series of high-profile speeches and television appearances. She will address the National Press Club in Washington, and will appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Late Show with David Letterman.

The exuberant, khaki-clad Irwin was far more popular in the US than at home, thanks to his wildlife documentaries screened on the Discovery Channel.

The channel's senior vice-president, Annie Howell, predicted yesterday that Bindi would receive a similar reception. "She'll be welcomed with open arms, and rightly so," she said. "She's a very special child."

During her tour, the documentary that her father was working on when he died - called Ocean's Deadliest - is also planned to be be broadcast.

Bindi is already a veteran performer. At the family-owned Australia Zoo, she has been putting on a song and dance show for thousands of spectators, together with backing dancers called Crocmen.

She and the Crocmen will team up with The Wiggles, the Australian band that specialises in children's music, for concerts in New York and Los Angeles.

Irwin's manager, John Stainton, who was in a boat nearby when Irwin had his fatal encounter, said that Bindi's father had put on a big show in the US every year for the past three years.

As part of an Australian government promotion, Bindi will join two leading Australian actors, Russell Crowe and Naomi Watts, and the Australian-born media baron, Rupert Murdoch, for a gala dinner.

Ms Howell added that her television series would premiere in the United States in the next few months.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/article2137660.ece

[PrincessArky]

They are both being so brave, Steve would be proud. I taped the Larry King show because it was just too sad for me to watch yet.

[PrincessArky]

They are coming out with a new line of steve irwin toys (recorded his voice before his death) that talk........beat my kids will be wanting all of these. We have a steve bobble for about 7 or 8 yrs now


http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/20/croc.hunter.toys.ap/index.html

dont forget that the Ocean's Deadliest will be on Discovery tonight