# What's this about Steve Irwin, aka The Crocodile Hunter? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 2, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358 "2004-01-02T20:30:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/1 "2004-01-02T20:30:03Z")
Something about holding his one-month son in his arms while he’s feeding a crocodile? Is the video as bad as it sounds? [http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story\_page/0,5478,8307894%5E662,00.html](http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8307894%255E662,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Matrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/34f0e0/32.png) [@Red\_Matrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Matrix)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/2 "2004-01-02T20:33:39Z")
What’s this about him crying over a croc named Mary when she died? It was as sad as that scene in Batman when the Penguine died and the other penguines pulled him into the water. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/3 "2004-01-02T20:34:18Z")
With a capacity crowd looking on, Irwin dangled a dead chicken before the 13-foot crocodile named Murray, which snapped up the offering. Irwin’s tiny son Bob looked on from his other arm. [bad Aussie accent] “Crikey! Crok’s done ayte mah bay-by! Oh, well, at layst Oy got this gryte chicken . . .” [/bad Aussie accent] ---
**Author:** ![IrreverentTone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@IrreverentTone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IrreverentTone)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/4 "2004-01-02T20:35:51Z")
IMHO, the video was grotesque. He held the baby in one arm while feeding the baby with his other hand, and later fake walked the baby on the ground with the croc not far away. I’ve seen and enjoyed some of his shows, but any respect I might have had for the man vanished when I saw the footage. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/5 "2004-01-02T20:40:16Z")
[linkety link link to free video site](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3859536/) Yes, it’s MSNBC - but you see both the critter, the baby, and the MoFo idiot. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/6 "2004-01-02T20:45:33Z")
How is Steve seen in Australia? Is he considered a big publicity whore, or does he truly care for the animals? If you consider how much he is around crocs and alligators, and how well he knows them, is it possible that he thought his son was in no danger? I know there was one bull croc that hated him, and actually chased him out of the pen while he was feeding him. Is Murray perhaps one of the more “docile” crocs that’s more interested in the dangling chicken than the dangling baby? ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/7 "2004-01-02T21:20:30Z")
Oh, boy. I saw the video this morning on the news, and yep, it’s fairly bad for Steve. Didn’t HE see the video of Michael Jackson, dangling HIS kid over the side of the balcony? I suspect they’re be some flack for awhile over this… ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Xadium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ed655f/32.png) [@Dr\_Xadium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Xadium)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/8 "2004-01-02T22:35:04Z")
You know, I’ve tried to defend Steve over the years, (some of my herpetologist friends _despise_ him), but that’s… that’s… I mean, what was he thinking? (Or was he?) From what I hear (and keep in mind this is merely hearsay), his shows are banned in some parts of Australia because of his, shall we say “cavalier” attitude towards crocs. ---
**Author:** ![leechbabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@leechbabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leechbabe)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/9 "2004-01-02T22:38:46Z")
IMHO the guy is a fucking idiot. No matter how tame and under control he thought the croc was it is still at a basic level a predator. There was some comment on the news last night that he will be getting in trouble for what he did. For the record most Aussies find the guy embaressing. ---
**Author:** ![UnwrittenNocturne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6de8d8/32.png) [@UnwrittenNocturne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UnwrittenNocturne)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/10 "2004-01-02T22:39:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ivylass \* > \*\*How is Steve seen in Australia? > > Is he considered a big publicity whore, or does he truly care for the animals? > > If you consider how much he is around crocs and alligators, and how well he knows them, is it possible that he thought his son was in no danger? I know there was one bull croc that hated him, and actually chased him out of the pen while he was feeding him. Is Murray perhaps one of the more “docile” crocs that’s more interested in the dangling chicken than the dangling baby? \*\* He is seen in a number of ways. I do think he is recognised as having done somke good things for the native wildlife, but he is also seen (rightly so) as something of a joke. he is in many ways a caricature of an Australia that never existed. A lot of people I know, myself included, experience severe cultural cringe at his antics. As for dangling his kid there…that is just the height of stupidity ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/11 "2004-01-02T23:09:02Z")
Jacques Cousteau and Marlin Perkins never had to wrestle with animals to teach us about them. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Serpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@Silver\_Serpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Serpentine)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/12 "2004-01-02T23:19:53Z")
Personally, I think the kid was at more risk from the Salmonella on the chicken than from the croc. The croc is used to being fed chickens. It’s used to where the food comes from. It’s used to the method of feeding. So, it’ll go for the chicken, not the baby. Plus, I bet he had a good hold on his child, not to mention knowing the temperment of the croc and how it responds to various stimuli. I can tell you how all of my snakes would respond to whatever I toss at it (what’ll make it bite, what’ll make it hiss, what’ll scare it, etc). And I’ve only been working with snakes for two years. I bet a man who basically lived his whole life with these animals knows his animals better than I know mine. However, I do understand that it could be shocking. Hmm. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Serpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@Silver\_Serpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Serpentine)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/13 "2004-01-02T23:23:04Z")
Had to play Devil’s Advocate, btw. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/14 "2004-01-02T23:30:42Z")
True, **AnimistDragon**. But you’d think maybe he’d think about what OTHER people would think when they saw him do that. I got tired of his schtick ages ago, though I have to admire how much he cares about these animals. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Serpentine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@Silver\_Serpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Serpentine)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/15 "2004-01-02T23:40:54Z")
Hey, I like anyone who can bring even a hint of education about reptiles to the public. I deal with a LOT of ignorance. “Ball Pythons? Are those poisonous? Do they eat people?” _blink__bangs head against the wall_ And I get your point, too. Gotta think about the public eye. Er. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/16 "2004-01-02T23:41:43Z")
Yeah, well, Marlin Perkins always had whatzisname go up and wrestle the animal FOR him, as I recall. Although now that I’ve seen the video, it definitely puts ole Steve in the “Michael Jackson” category. There’s no reason on earth that baby needed to be in there with that croc. When one sees the video, one can see the baby’s in no REAL danger… …and even if the croc DID suddenly turn around and head for the baby, I’ve no doubt ole Steve would have happily flung himself into the croc’s mouth to save his child… …but… well, damned if I saw any entertainment value in the stunt. Shock value, maybe, but no entertainment value. Mimimal risk, perhaps… but a risk, nevertheless, and for no reason whatsoever. And involving a BABY, for potato’s sake. Steve’s gonna pay for this one, I think. ---
**Author:** ![TeaElle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@TeaElle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TeaElle)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/17 "2004-01-02T23:42:21Z")
**AnimistDragon** , I’m sorry, but let’s be realistic. You simply do not expose a baby to that great a risk, no matter how well you “know” the animal in question. Animal behavior is simply not that predictable, and there is no question that the crocodile could easily have killed the baby. Holding a baby with one arm when you’re feeding a large _dog_ is stupid bordering on neglectful, doing so while feeding a crocodile is just criminally abusive and stupid. Where the hell was Irwin’s wife? She let this idiot endanger her child this way for what reason, now? ---
**Author:** ![BuckleberryFerry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f9b8f/32.png) [@BuckleberryFerry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckleberryFerry)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/18 "2004-01-02T23:46:33Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by TeaElle_ > **Where the hell was Irwin’s wife?** Handing him the child, IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/19 "2004-01-02T23:57:18Z")
The local news remarked that she was standing right there, watching. Wife, I mean. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358/20 "2004-01-03T00:00:14Z")
yep, marlin was always saying: “note how jim approaches the baby lion cub, he will carefully reposition the cub for the cameras.” "ooooooh, look how jim convinces the mother lion that he is “just another cub.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-this-about-steve-irwin-aka-the-crocodile-hunter/222358.md?page=2)