# "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin killed by stingray - **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 4, 2006, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370 "2006-09-04T04:43:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/1 "2006-09-04T04:43:25Z")
[“Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin killed by stingray](http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20349541-5001021,00.html) - ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/2 "2006-09-04T04:46:22Z")
Crikey! ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/3 "2006-09-04T04:50:57Z")
I guess a croc getting him would have been a little too obvious. At least it wasn’t a koala or something. That would be undignified. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/4 "2006-09-04T04:57:32Z")
Hmm, that was unexpectedly enexpected. And recent too. They say his wife hasn’t heard yet. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/5 "2006-09-04T05:03:04Z")
Is it understood that “it is understood” is some kind of standard European/Australian journalistic standard? ---
**Author:** ![diggleblop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/6 "2006-09-04T05:04:28Z")
damn you guys are fast ! I came in to post this and BAM, here it is. Very sad, but inevitable. ---
**Author:** ![createAnAccount](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@createAnAccount](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/createAnAccount)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/7 "2006-09-04T05:06:19Z")
Sad. I really liked this guy. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/8 "2006-09-04T05:07:40Z")
[QUOTE=Leaper] Is it understood that “it is understood” is some kind of standard European/Australian journalistic standard? [/QUOTE] “it is understood” is journalese for “that’s what we’re being told. But we have no official confirmation and we’re not going to make fools of ourselves claiming it’s a definite fact just yet”. ---
**Author:** ![GusNSpot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gusnspot/32/436_2.png) [@GusNSpot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GusNSpot)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/9 "2006-09-04T05:08:40Z")
Damn, I like the guy. We need more like him in this world, not less. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/10 "2006-09-04T05:15:25Z")
[URL=http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20349888-2,00.html]More[- Looks like it’s a fact/URL] ---
**Author:** ![Ruffian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/71e660/32.png) [@Ruffian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruffian)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/11 "2006-09-04T05:15:31Z")
**NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!** Dude, the guy is MY HERO! I’ve been watching him for YEARS! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/12 "2006-09-04T05:16:44Z")
[QUOTE=Cunctator] “it is understood” is journalese for “that’s what we’re being told. But we have no official confirmation and we’re not going to make fools of ourselves claiming it’s a definite fact just yet”. [/QUOTE] [Looks like it’s a fact](http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20349888-2,00.) ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/13 "2006-09-04T05:19:53Z")
And wiki’s already been updated! well, I lost a lot of respect for him when he interacted with that croc while holding his infant daughter. He went the way he wanted to go, I suppose. Sad for his family, though. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/14 "2006-09-04T05:19:58Z")
[3rd time’s the charm - link](http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,20349888-2,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/15 "2006-09-04T05:20:47Z")
Yeah, I liked the guy too. He and his wife just seem like good, good people. I feel very sad for her and their kids. ---
**Author:** ![ninevah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/46a35a/32.png) [@ninevah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninevah)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/16 "2006-09-04T05:21:13Z")
I’m still sceptical. Until I see images of his funeral-clad family, I won’t thoroughly believe it. (This is partly due to the fact that most of the new articles stem from the same “tabloid-ish” news site) ---
**Author:** ![ninevah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/46a35a/32.png) [@ninevah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ninevah)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/17 "2006-09-04T05:22:26Z")
[QUOTE=eleanorigby] well, I lost a lot of respect for him when he interacted with that croc while holding his infant daughter. [/QUOTE] Slight nitpick - it was his baby son, Bob. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/18 "2006-09-04T05:24:39Z")
Holy cow, a sting ray barb in the chest? That sounds so strange, at first I thought maybe this was some weird joke. I agree that we need more people like him advocating for the environment and animals. I used to watch his shows a lot, and he seemed to have a genuine love for animals. I hope that his kids get to carry on his legacy. How sad that they will grow up without their dad now. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![C3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/c3/32/3108_2.png) [@C3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C3)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/19 "2006-09-04T05:39:15Z")
Wow. I feel awful for his family, especially the kids. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2006, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370/20 "2006-09-04T05:44:36Z")
**Crikey!** Sorry, could not resist. A rather odd death, given the number of higher / more obviously risky animal encounters he’s survived unscathed. Is suspect that the fortuitous placement of the barb is what really rendered the fatality. I can’t imagine what he was doing to the 'ray that would have provoked its repsonse. Then again, Irwin has a long history of provoking animal defensive responses. I feel badly for his partner-wife and his child, though he died, I suspect in the way that he would have wanted, though perhaps about 50 or 60 years early. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crocodile-hunter-steve-irwin-killed-by-stingray/371370.md?page=2)