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Crikey!

There is a hole in all our hearts ... 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin Killed by Stingray

Sept. 4, 2006 — Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and conservationist known as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Monday by a stingray while filming off the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44.

Irwin was at Batt Reef, off the remote coast of northeastern Queensland state, shooting a segment for a series called "Ocean's Deadliest" when he swam too close to one of the animals, which have a poisonous barb on their tails, his friend and colleague John Stainton said.

"He came on top of the stingray and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said Stainton, who was on board Irwin's boat at the time.

Steve Irwin surely will be remembered as an icon of our times. His overflowing enthusiasm and child-like awe inspired renewed interest in the animal kingdom. I just loved watching him interact with the animals ... his love and respect for them knew no bounds. He would exclaim over the beauty of all creatures, even ones that are not really very pretty. He could see their beauty in their perfection just as they are. I would imagine that he would even have respect for the sting-ray that took his life.

We will miss you, Steve. May your heaven be filled with all the creatures you have loved. May strength, peace and grace bless those you have left behind.



UPDATE: I wrote this before perusing the thoughts of others. There is a great deal of argument going on, like over at the Austin Bay Blog ... that Irwin took too many risks, he was "asking for it" and it was bound to happen sooner or later. To those, I say STFU ... life IS a risk. It is a terminal disease with a zero chance of survival. There is no way to live life without risk ... the most dangerous place in the world is one we all visit several times a day, the bathrooms in our homes. We get in our cars and drive ... for those of us under the age of 50, that poses the greatest risk to our lives of all. We eat fatty foods, smoke, drink to much, drive too fast ... and just what does that contribute to the world? At least Steve Irwin risked all for a purpose ... to bring greater awareness to the beauty of God's greatest creatures, and the need to respect and preserve their place in our world. Bill Whittle dropped in his two cents there ... read it here. (And just so you know, I am insanely in love with Bill Whittle!)

I believe Steve Irwin lived this philosophy:
"Life's journey is not about walking sedately into your grave in a perfectly preserved body. Rather you should skid sideways up to the pearly gates, completely skinned up, bruised, scarred and stained, in a worn out body, with a martini in one hand and a gear-shift in the other, shouting "Holy crap! What a ride!!!"


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