 |
||||||
'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin killed by stingray while making wildlife film.
The Australian conservationist, who attracted a worldwide following for his energetic antics and catchphrase "Crikey!", was filming underwater at Batt Reef, off the coast of north-eastern Queensland, when the stingray's barb punctured his heart. Irwin, 44, was hauled aboard his boat, Croc One, where crew members tried to resuscitate him. A rescue helicopter rushed to the scene but medical staff pronounced him dead shortly after their arrival. Stingrays have a serrated barb, or spine, on the top of their tail which is loaded with poison. It is understood it killed Irwin instantly. Last night it was reported that film of the moment Irwin died had been handed to police investigating his death. John Stainton, a friend who was on the boat at the time, said: "He came on top of the stingray and the barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart." Irwin's body was later flown to a mortuary in Cairns, where his family and friends had gathered.
Irwin was famous for his enthusiasm for wildlife. His television programme Crocodile Hunter was first broadcast in Australia in 1992, and was picked up by the Discovery network, which catapulted him to international celebrity. He later developed his image into a feature film The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course in 2002, and developed Australia Zoo, the wildlife park that his parents opened, into a major tourist attraction. But his public image was dented 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 the authorities declined to charge him with violating safety regulations. Last night 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. Dr Geoff Isbister, a clinical toxicologist at an Australian hospital, said: "What happened to Steve Irwin is like being stabbed in the heart. It has little to do with the venom and all to do with the trauma caused by the barb of the stingray. "Although the venom may cause tissue damage, the physical trauma in this case would have been enough to cause a lethal injury." Tributes were led by John Howard, the Australian prime minister, who hand-picked Irwin to attend a gala barbecue to honour George Bush when the US president visited in 2003. He said he was shocked and distressed at Irwin's "sudden, untimely and freakish death". Mr Howard continued: "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." Last night Mr Stainton said: "The world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest dads on the planet. "He died doing what he loved best, and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind." At Australia Zoo at Beerwah, Queensland, floral tributes were left at the entrance and drivers honked their horns as they passed. Paula Kelly, a local resident and volunteer at the zoo, dropped off a wreath at the gate and said: "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." |
||||||
 |
||||||
STEVE
Irwin, the safari-suited "crocodile hunter" and television presenter, was killed
by a stingray yesterday while filming a documentary series called Ocean's
Deadliest.
Terri,
his American-born wife, was told of her husband's death while on a walking tour
in Tasmania, and returned with their two children, daughter Bindi Sue, eight,
and son Bob, two.