Should 'Croc Hunter' Death Tape be Seen?

Originally Posted by RosterImposter

The family should decide if they want to show it or not. Maybe something can be found out about why the stingray stabbed him, and what precautions we could take to prevent that.

The precautions, in this case, would be: don't swim above a 200+ lb. stingray and startle it so that you can get impressive camera footage. If someone didn't get that message from hearing about Irwin's death, I doubt that seeing it will prove any more persuasive.

While he did a lot of fantastic things for conservation and was a great friend to reptiles, Steve Irwin was also given to showboating and to taking unnecessary risks. I'm not saying that Steve Irwin "deserved" to die, but I am saying that his death was an avoidable tragedy caused in no small part by Irwin's cavalier attitude toward dangerous animals -- an attitude which made him entertaining to watch but which had herp-keepers shaking their heads for years.

Why show it? What would it or 'could it' possibly accomplish?

Nothing.

Originally Posted by CurtisF

Why show it? What would it or 'could it' possibly accomplish?

Nothing.

It's called a healing process.

I for one, don't deal with death too well. Not meaning it messes me up or anything, just that I always seem to dodge the reality of it with flippant comments, etc. Having it in my face sorta forces me to deal with the reality of it. So in a way, for me anyway, it's a good thing.

I met Steve once, and when I heard of his death, I did what i normally do, and dodged the issue. Having it on Animal Planet for the next month or so, kinda forced me to deal with the reality part of it, and get the sense of loss over and done with.

Anyway, that's my point of view. I voted YES.
Rick

Originally Posted by crotalusadamanteus

It's called a healing process.

I for one, don't deal with death too well. Not meaning it messes me up or anything, just that I always seem to dodge the reality of it with flippant comments, etc. Having it in my face sorta forces me to deal with the reality of it. So in a way, for me anyway, it's a good thing.

I met Steve once, and when I heard of his death, I did what i normally do, and dodged the issue. Having it on Animal Planet for the next month or so, kinda forced me to deal with the reality part of it, and get the sense of loss over and done with.

Anyway, that's my point of view. I voted YES.
Rick

Hmph, two completely different points of view, I suppose. I never thought of it from that angle

Not sure if the original link at the bottom will work so included the text. I would be willing to bet that this won't ever come out.






Irwin's Wife Gets Tape of His Death
Jan 3, 9:17 PM EST


Authorities gave the video of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin's fatal encounter with a stingray to his family and destroyed all copies to prevent the grisly footage from being made public, an Australian state coroner said Thursday.

Irwin, 44, died on Sept. 4 after being stabbed in the chest by the stingray's poisonous barb while filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef off the Queensland coast.

Queensland State Coroner Michael Barnes said authorities gave the original video to his wife, Terri, in late December and destroyed other copies.

"The footage has been the subject of widespread media interest and it was wholly appropriate that we took all possible steps to ensure something of such a personal and tragic nature did not fall into the wrong hands," Barnes said in a statement. "This is in line with the wishes of the Irwin family."

Police made a small number of copies of the video to assist their inquiry into the cause of Irwin's death, but they were kept under tight security throughout the investigation, the coroner's office said.

Speculation had been rife that footage of Irwin's death could eventually be posted on the Internet.

Calls to the Irwin family's Australia Zoo were not immediately returned Thursday, but in an interview with U.S. television last September, Terri Irwin, originally of Eugene, Ore., said the video should never see the light of day.

"What purpose would that serve?" she told ABC's Barbara Walters, adding that she herself had not seen the video.

Irwin's friend and business partner, John Stainton, has seen the film. He told Walters he never wants to see it again and doesn't want anyone else to see it, either. "It's just a horrible piece of film tape," he said.

The death of the exuberant television entertainer and conservationist set off an unprecedented outpouring of grief. Tens of thousands traveled to Irwin's zoo near Brisbane to drop off flowers and other mementoes, many of them signing khaki shirts instead of a condolence book.


http://tv.msn.com/tv/article.aspx?news=246674&GT1=7703