[QUOTE=zoogirl]
There were times I just wanted to shake the man and say “Don’t you know there are kids and teenagers watching? Don’t you realize that they’re going to think this kind of thing is okay?!”
On the other hand, he did a hell of a lot to raise awareness about conservation. Because of Steve Irwin, a lot of kids will go on to work with animals or in related areas and just maybe there will still be creatures like the Saltwater Crocodile for our grandchildren to see alive and in their own habitat.
The sad thing, of course, is that now his children will grow up without him and Terri will have to continue alone.
[/QUOTE]
Just to clarify a little…
Severus, in post 13, said that I’d commented that Steve Irwin might have had a negative influence in children and that I should recognize that helping them break their fear of animals is a good thing. No, what I think I said, or meant to say, is that his handling of animals was dangerous and unproffessional. That was the “kind of thing” I was referring to. I’m all for helping children see that animals are not automatically bad and to be feared. Heck, it’s what I do every day. OTOH, it’s also part of my job to teach kids to treat animals carefully and with gentless and respect. I also emphasize that exotics are not meant to be pets and that any animal can retaliate if misshandled. So, don’t misshandle your animals!
[iB]Blake** in post 15 clipped my comment and in effect mis-quoted me. I did not say “Because of Steve Irwin just maybe there will be animals like the Saltwater Crocodile for our grandchildren to see etc.” I said that because of Steve Irwin’s influence a lot of kids will go on to work with animals and in related fileds. It’ll be the coming generations that will do the work that will save animals like the croc’s. I’m perfectly willing to give Steve credit for raising interest but of course I don’t think he single-handedly saved anything.
For anyone who’s wondering, I work at a small private zoo where I look after the mammals and do on-site tours and off-site presentations. I’ve been there for six years and I’ve had an interest in animals all my life. I’m also rather too old to have been influenced by Steve Irwin but I remember watching every National Geographic special that came on and of course I read Gerald Durrell and Farley Mowat and Joy Adamson and every other animal related thing I could get my hands on.
I do have some idea about handling animals. As a matter of fact, we have several rattlesnakes, Horned Vipers and a couple of aligators at work. My boss is the only one that works directly with them and he ALWAYS uses every precaution available. He wears heavy gloves, uses the snake hooks to manipulate the animals and wears boots. He also clears the area before taking anything out of it’s cage. Those are just the simple, basic rules that are part of the responsibility of keeping these animals. Unfortunately, Steve Irwin did not always follow those rules and to my way of thinking that made him dangerous. I joke that if I went to Kamloops and heard a rattler go off, I’m so used to hearing it that I’d just say “Aw, shaddup, Shake!” and keep going. I’m afraid that kids watching the show might think “Hey, Steve picked up that rattler and nothing happened - you just grab it behind the head, right?” Familliarity breeding contempt and all.
Anyway, there’s my $.02