Goodbye Steve Irwin
It’s unusual to post for a second time about television and my stay in Germany, but there will probably be no more appropriate time than now.
At around 9:30PM last night, I learned that Australian environmentalist and celebrity Steve Irwin, best known as the Crocodile Hunter whose television show has been said to air up to seven times per day in the United States, passed away in an unfortunate accident involving a stingray. Irwin was shooting a promotional ad for an upcoming Animal Planet documentary called “Ocean’s Deadliest” when he was struck by the barb of a stingray through the heart. Irwin’s seven-year-old daughter, Bindi Sue (named after his dog), was present on the shoot according to initial reports.
When I first learned of Irwin’s death, it was less than 30 minutes after the first source broke the story. I thought the source, an Australian newspaper, may have been a tabloid newspaper, but as more Australian agencies reported Irwin’s death, I was faced with the unsettling truth that one of my favorite television personalities had passed away.
While living in Germany, one of the four TV channels I had mentioned (AFN Spectrum) began airing repeats of Irwin’s Network Ten program. Irwin’s fearless handling of nature’s dangerous creatures and his original love for the environment caused “The Crocodile Hunter” to become a staple in our household. I can even recall bringing in a tape of Irwin’s show to my video tech class in 1999, where it became a favorite among my peers to watch. We didn’t have much in the way of TV programs to watch, but “The Crocodile Hunter” quickly became a favorite among my friends and many military families in Germany.
It’s with a saddened heart that our generation has lost a great icon of environmentalism and naturism. Crocs still rule!
I'm a 21-year-old technology, music and local media blogger from Sacramento, California.