The Death Of The Crocodile Hunter

I woke up this morning and flipped on CNN only to be shocked that nature-lover Steve Irwin, better known as the Crocodile Hunter, had passed away today as the result of an encounter with a barbed stingray off the coast of Australia. If you click on the title of this post, you'll be linked to a CNN article reporting more details.

Apparently he was swimming in shallow waters in part of the Great Barrier Reef when he swam over the top of the stingray that was buried in sand. This particular species of stingray has a barb that can be used as a defense mechanism on its tail. As Irwin swam over the top of the stingray the barb raised up and caught him in the chest. They believe it may have pierced him directly in the heart. Although frantic rescue efforts were made, they were unable to save him. The linked CNN article laso has a link to a video tribute of Steve Irwin.

Irwin became internationally known naturalist with his shows on the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, and other. His trademark energy and enthusiasm, accent, and khaki outfits were instantly recognizable and the subject of many parodies. One thing that no one can question was his passion for the wild kingdom, especially with gators and snakes and many other dangerous and endangered species. The world has lost someone who has educated and entertained millions of people.

Here is a picture of the end of a stingray tail and a barb similar to that of the one in this this unfortunate incident.