The Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin is a Moron!

It's different when it's someone just risking their life. But he endangered (to whatever extent of danger it was) his little baby. I just see it through the eyes of someone who is so eager to have a baby, and who's family members tried for years to have a baby and then couldn't. What I see is someone taking their baby into a risk that they didn't need too.

I guess I just wonder how much they understand that the baby that they have is a gift/privledge/responsibility which they need to protect and care for as best as they possibly can.

I know what you all mean about blowing things out of proportion. But just think what we would be saying if that baby was harmed.

(I hope I don't sound fanatical or wierd, I say these words above in a calm voice so don't think I'm going all nutso)

"his risk with HIS child is trivial"

I do not recall who it was that wrote the above, but it may rank up there in the top ten dumb things I have ever read here.

Just because you are blessed with offspring, and those children are called "yours," they are not "yours" in the sense of being "your" property to do with as "you" see fit. That child was in danger in a way that was completely unneccessary.

For anyone to say he "dug it" is almost as stupid as the above cited quotation. A one month old child cannot easily focus his eyes on anything much beyond a few feet, and it certainly cannot move from one object to another quickly enough to have caught the movements of the croc or Irwin. Further, a one month old child's ability to hold its own head erect is limited, and if Irwin had needed to make a sideways jump away from the "controlled" croc ... irreperable damage to the boy's spinal cord could easily have taken place. Anyone ever heard of shaken baby syndrome?

Whatever. The fact is that the baby was in there as a publicity stunt and not for his own benefit. At least Michael Jackson was just a moron when he hung his son over a railing. Irwin is being a moron for profit!

not safe for work but this thread made me think of this cartoon
http://www.joecartoon.com/pages/goanna/

I remember that one!!! One of the best!

Ok, I'm going to show my age here (34) going on 85.

I was always taught that you did whatever it took to bring home the rent. Now, my father could probably be spending 15 - 30 years (half of a murder charge) for teaching me that you learn and work to make the money you make in the world

A person with experience in an arena will have no problem with what we (outside of the arena) have dealing with. A ton of people outside of the working arena would have a ton of problems with a kindergarten child sweeping floors and learning the basics of business.

One thing I will forever thank my father for is to teach me that fact that only through my own ability to out-work anyone hour-by-hour I can by-pass the fact that others where born with more money than me and I can over acheive. Today, this would have been abuse.

This kid has the ability to achieve more due to advanced knowledge that the rest of us serious lack. Good that we can decide what is best for them (him) from our sofas. (that was sarcasm )

I am asking any of the senior herpers out there if this is true:
I heard that Bill Haas closed The Miami Serpentarium after this happened:

Haas had the largest American Crocodile in captivity, a real monster, in a nice landscaped sunken enclosure surrounded by a six foot high fence. A father held up his toddler up and over the fence so the child could see better. The toddler slipped out of the father's hands directly into the huge crocodile's jaws and was eaten immediately in front of an audience.

I was told this by some friends, but could never verify the truthfulness of the story. Can any of you older hands comment on this?

Before I get into this thread, let me say I think that what Steve did may not have been the smartest thing he has done. I think it could have had some awful repercussions had something gone wrong. By the same token I have seen many adults teach their children to race various vehicles at very young ages. There was recently a special on Speed week about a 6 year old driving motocross motorcycles in competition. At that age a child could easily be killed in an accident. Just yesterday I watched a show where some parents had taught a child under 2 to water ski. I can think of many things that could have gone wrong causing the child to be seriously harmed or even killed. It seems as parents we get so caught up in the things we love and want to share them with our children, that sometimes we forget they are children. I have always wanted my kids to share my love of reptiles but it doesn't look like that is going to happen. I wonder if I had introduced them to rattlers at an early age if they would now love them like I do. I must say this about Steve, he has often times handled dangerous animals in a manner that I feel is not the way I would want to teach someone to do it, but he has been successful. I will say that he has brought more attention to our hobby (profession) than any other person since I can remember. Prior to Steve and his show reptiles in general and snakes in particular were always presented as evil man killing animals that hunt us so they can kill us. Most movies show snakes in a way that generates fear of them. I have been doing talks at schools for many years and remember when I would get a snake out and they were all cobras or rattle snakes to the kids. Now most kids know a carpet python or a redtail boa when I get it out. This they tell me comes form the Croc Hunter show. That is a good thing he has done. I have to say maybe the good outweighs the bad with him. I just hope he now sees that what he did was not a responsible thing and doesn't do that sort of stunt again. As herpers we don't need the bad PR.

These are just my thoughts and are not intended to upset anyone.

Thank you

Earlier today CNN broadcasted an interview to Irwin. He stated that if he would have to do it again he would probably do it differently. He also said something along the lines that children in that part of the world are exposed to that type of danger every now and then (??).

I think your last post about his comments were meaning that there are SEVERAL rivers where "salties" live and thrive and do attack , kill & mame many each year. I agree that maybe his actions were not 100% thought out and that yes something could have gone wrong ... but then again things go wrong everyday in the world...i think what he did was really no more irresponsible then any one that shows young school kids a 10+ fot snake and have them pet it or even line up to hold the big snake. I have done some shows to school age kids where i would have them come to the front to line up with a 18 ft burmese i had but i didnt let them near the head ... however i will say that that didnt mean alot considering that a snake that size could react and constrict a kid w/o having to bite it them .... so i think steve's response you noted was accurate in saying that kids are exposed at young ages there , so with that could it not be said that every parent that goes to the river for a " family day" and lets them swim to have fun could or should be subjected to the same scrutinty that he is ??? i mean just be cause that river doesnt have a sign that says NO SWIMMING SALT WATER CROS IN WATER....... i know for sure if i was in AU i dont think i would swim in the water there to many stories of people man & child being drug off into the rivers to be eaten ... same as parents here that allow there kids to go swimming at the beaches on our coasts ... the east coast alone has had MANY shark attacks in the last 3-4 yrs ... so should it be said that any parent that allows there kids to swim even in 2 foot of Ocean water is being irresponsible ? just beacuse you dont see a Cros sign in that river doesnt mean that one is not there waiting to take advantage of a free unsupecting meal .... or just because the shark that attacked that surfer was 5-10 miles from you that he isnt swimming on your beach today ... just beacuse that copperhead bit the kid across town doesnt mean his cousin isnt in your back yard today sunning .... just because that cute lil toy poodle wouldnt bite his own fleas he wont bite you or your kid .....Just because that drunk driver killed a family in South carolina doesnt mean one isnt crossing the line in your lane tonight ... the world is full of things that if someone wanted to could have a valid argument for any & everything humans do and make it all a bad situation...


So i think that if bad press will come its going to come for more then what steve did ... i mean how many stupid things do americans do each day? we can sit here and speculate the "WHAT IF" factor all day long and make some very good horror stories with it the fact is what if didnt happen.
any way these are all just my thoughts and rants for today

lol here is my best one ... what if my brother didnt come over to my house this weekend and try to swap around all the routers from his house to ours i would be able to use my computer right now to check emails and work on my website .... i sure wish he would get home to fix this mess ... i miss my computer

bruce,
I am 41 and rember the incident pretty clear I might be off a bit over the years but here it is to my version.

The father of the kid was holding him over the barrier so he could throw objects at the croc below.
The little wildman slipped into the crocs jaws and was paid back for his actions.
Bill was quick and jumped in and capped the croc with his pistol.
But it was too late croc chow.
They later close up and moved to the desert them came on back to florida.
Now punta gorda is his home.