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A Crikey Goodbye!

rasta smurf.

Posted to Etcetera on Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 01:32:38 PM EST. RSS.

Steve Irwin, the wild-life expert and conservationist affectionately known as The Crocodile Hunter, was killed in a rare attack by a short-tailed stingray on Monday morning, September 4th, 2006.  

In a bitter twist of irony, Steve was in the middle of filming a documentary film titled The Ocean's Deadliest, when he was attacked.  According to one of the divers that was with him, Steve swam above the ray that was buried in the sand and accidentally "boxed" the animal in.  Feeling threatened, the animal raised the sharp barb on its tail and jabbed Steve in the chest, puncturing his heart.
Though his sudden rise to the apotheosis of Naturalist and Explorer through his seminal television show, The Crocodile Hunter, brought him some controversy and legal woes, most people remember Steve affectionately.  His bold and nail biting stunts, usually at the wrong end of a crocodile, provided both entertainment and an interest in the most fascinating and dangerous creatures.  Steve went places in his trademark Khaki uniform most people wouldn't dare to go.  Fortunately we never had to.  From the comfort of our homes we watched him trek across the seemingly uninhabitable parts of the world to take on creatures some of has had never even heard of.  Steve Irwin both enamored and annoyed, but nothing changed him from being himself and doing what he loved best: educating the world about wildlife and working tirelessly for their conservation.  Fortunately, thanks to his gregarious personality, we will continue to see personalities like Steve on television.  Still, both wildlife and Australia have suffered a great loss in his death.

Tags: death, steve irwing, celebrities (all tags)

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3

Killer Ray - Staring Sammuel L. Jackson

rasta smurf.

Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 04:48:40 PM EST

5.00 (funny)

This past weekend I was at the NJ State Aquarium.  They had a neat little area where you could stand and stick your hand into a pool to pet the sharks.  In addition to sharks, you could also pet rays.  Now this was before the crocodile hunter went down.  I wonder if those rays are in there now?  They seem so docile.  Almost like they want you to pet them.  I'm pretty sure that they only attack in the rarest of occasions from what I've read... but still.  I can just see people freaking out over "killer rays" being in the petting area.
I'm also predicting a great summer B-movie where a genetically engineered sting ray goes on a tourist killing spree in a remote coral reef somewhere in the Caribbean.  Crowds will go wild when they here Sammuel L. Jackson - the star of the movie - exclaim "I am sick and tired of these muthafuckin rays, in this muthafuckin reef!"

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Re: Killer Ray - Staring Sammuel L. Jackson

b2.

Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 07:11:31 PM EST

4.33 (informative, informative, interesting)

My husband and I went on a cruise this last spring and one of the excursions was swimming with the rays - it was on Antigua and they had this section that was kind of roped off and the locals had bucket of squid so you could feed them as well - the water in the area was about to the waist and they told us to drag our feet so you don't step on them or the barb - you could see it, but it was a couple of inches at the most - I don't know if they cut it off and grew back or what because some of the rays were pretty big.

It was weird - once they realized you had food, they were like cats around your ankles.  They were used to humans and the locals would pick them up and let you hold the front of them which kind of freaked me out because their mouth is kind of like a sucker and it is kind of alarming to have this thing about the width of your arm span sucking in your face with all these others swimming around your legs.  Freaky.  But they are beautiful and while I had petted some at the aquarium in the past, this was much different.  But I thought about that after I heard how Steve Irwin died.  What if I had jumped and startled the ray while the guy was holding it?  They are strong in the way snakes are strong - all muscle.

If you insist on hanging around only with people you agree with, you're going to find that half your friends are making you sick. - Mick La Salle

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Re: Killer Ray - Staring Sammuel L. Jackson

JimmyHavok.

Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 02:19:55 AM EST

4.00 (informative)

I was at a marine science lab a week or so ago, and they had a ray in a tank.  It certainly seemed like it was watching what went on around it, though I couldn't tell if its eyes were tracking or not.

The researcher who was showing me around (it wasn't her animal, she was working with some much less exciting sea urchins) said it would often come up to the surface to be scratched.

Apparently rays aren't usually very aggressive, and they are bright enough to learn that people mean food, not a threat.  Irwin just got unlucky.

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Everybody loves Rays

coquito.

Tue Sep 12, 2006 at 03:58:38 PM EST

none

Apparently rays aren't usually very aggressive, and they are bright enough to learn that people mean food, not a threat.  Irwin just got unlucky.

The record of rays killing people says you're likely right. Myself, I've seen one twice now. Once while on a night-dive (scuba diving in the dark), which was awesome. The ray (I don't know which kind it was) swam around me and I could clearly see it's mouth at times. A very beautiful though alien looking thing. The second time was just last week, days after Steve Irwin was killed. I was snorkeling off a beach in the British Virgin Islands and was wondering if I'd be lucky enough to find a skate or ray, when I suddenly did. I followed it around for a little bit, and at one point it buried itself in the sand a little and lifted it's barb in my direction. I didn't try to touch it, in part because I was snorkeling and I would have had to move quickly, which isn't the way I prefer to approach wild animals ;) Anyway, my wife wouldn't go near the thing.

It's a shame Steve Irwin died so young, but I can only envy him the amazing experiences he must have had, and the deep connection he must have felt to life. That's something many of us don't have much of. And certainly, most of us won't be lucky enough to die doing something we love.

Now with caps!

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Re: Killer Ray - Staring Sammuel L. Jackson

MayorBob.

Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 06:13:12 PM EST

3.00 (informative)

I believe any rays in captivity in places like the NJ State Aquarium where the animals are located where people can lay their hands upon them have had their barbs removed.  

As far as movies where Samuel L. gets dispatched by wild animals, I point you in the direction of "Deep Blue Sea" where, in his final scene, (SPOILER ALERT) Samuel L. is telling the group of intrepid survivors of an underwater lab collapse who are being stalked by mutant killer sharks, "we are NOT GOING TO FIGHT AMONGST OURSELVES!!!"  At the end of that piece of exposition one of the mutant killer sharks leaps out of the tank and clamps its pearly whites on Samuel L.'s mid section, dragging him below where he becomes a tasty treat.

Illegitimi non carborundum.

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Re: Killer Ray - Staring Sammuel L. Jackson

JimmyHavok.

Wed Sep 06, 2006 at 02:10:55 AM EST

none

Loved that movie.  My favorite thing about it was the way the sharks could change size.  If they had lots of room, they were huge, if it was cramped quarters they were just big enough to bite you.  Steve Irwin would have wrestled them to the mat, no matter how big they were.

Buh-by, Steve, we hardly knew ye.

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Not only the reef

Lou.

Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 06:13:33 PM EST

none

I mean, that's where they're supposed to be.  However, a movie named "Rays in the Pool" has a certain ring to it.

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine

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Re: Not only the reef

rasta smurf.

Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 06:41:46 PM EST

none

However, a movie named "Rays in the Pool" has a certain ring to it.

Co-starring Jessica Alba!

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Re: Not only the reef

Lou.

Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 08:47:44 PM EST

2.66 (funny, funny, funny)

Co-starring Jessica Alba!

Actually, I was thinking more of Jessica Albacore.

It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine

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Re: A Crikey Goodbye!

snarkism.

Sat Sep 09, 2006 at 10:20:21 PM EST

5.00 (brilliant)

In a bitter twist of irony, Steve was in the middle of filming a documentary film titled The Ocean's Deadliest, when he was attacked.

That's not ironic. In fact, it's about as far from irony as you can get. It would be ironic if he were shooting a film called "World's most fluffy, cuddly, least deadly creatures that don't live in the ocean."

1

A Moral Lesson

keta.

Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 04:07:44 PM EST

3.00 (funny, funny, funny)

Married men take note: a piece of tail other than your wife can sometimes be deadly.

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Re: A Moral Lesson

keta.

Tue Sep 05, 2006 at 04:18:28 PM EST

none

Rumour has it the fateful mate went under the name, "Barb."

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