The Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin is a Moron!

Like many other subjects, my thoughts on this issue have been summarized perfectly by Scott Bice.

The public backlash isn't just going to hit Irwin, it's going to hit the entire reptile community.

I saw the crocodile myself in the good old days. I am amazed the story is true. It happened before the 24 hour news channels and the internet so the publicity was minimal. Thank you Bud!

Has anyone seen the TV clip of the guy that was doing the trick of putting his head inside a crocs jaws. The croc was with the jaws wide open and the "trainer" knew that nothing would happen unless he touched the inside of the jaws by accident. Well "Murphys Law" in effect, the guy touched with his head one of the teeth and "snap"! It took the effort of three assistants to open the jaws of the croc and get his head out. It was on "When animals turn wild" or something like that. Crazy!

that dropped onto the tounge of the gator that triggered the bite...

When it comes to potentially dangerous critters, the only fully legitimate handling situations are for husbandry, veterinary or research purposes. Handling for educational and display purposes can be acceptable if good safety protocols are observed. Everything else pretty much falls under the category of Stupid Animal Tricks. And some tricks are stupider than others.

Irwin's stunt scores pretty high on the stupid list. There is no legitimate reason to take a newborn baby into a croc enclosure. Not surprised that the child welfare services got involved in the case. Nice going for the whole herp community, Steve-o.

In my opinion, it was stupid plain and simple. In fact it bordered upon criminal had it been done in this country. I don't mind all his antics when it involves him or other adults who are getting paid and who know the risk involved, but to place his kid in such a potentially dangerous situation was quite possibly bordering on the actions of a mentally ill person. What will he do next to keep the cameras rolling stick his own weiner in a crocs mouth!

The thing is that with a show like his, it can only go on for so long and you start to drop off in the ratings. He has likely reached that point. New material just pretty much become repeats of stuff done in years gone by. It is boring to the audience, but I guess he found a way to spice it up.

As for anyone who says he knows the risks, and he knows the animals, and he knows how to react, well a lot could have gone wrong in a situation that his baby was unnecessarily exposed to. Going to the doctor in a car with baby in the car seat, may be dangerous, but if you are not running red lights then it is nothjing like what Irwin did. He was tempting fate, and the longer you do that, the more likely it is that fate will oblige. Had there been some sort of accident I guess his kid would have wound up just another finger lickin good piece of chicken.....

No that was not being responsible, that was sheer irresponsibility as I see it.

Happy New year,
Glenn B

It was a great video whith the guy's head getting stuck in the alligator's mouth, perfect for TV! The instant the jaws snapped shut on the guy, a bunch of old ladies screamed real loud just like a chick in a crappie horror film! Aieeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got this in my email a year or so ago. Don't know the origin but it seems appropriate.

Subject: For the first time...
....I watched the Crocodile Hunter on Animal Planet last night.

This Australian character certainly does seem to lead an interesting life. I submit to you samples of his dialogue:

"Now this is the eastern diamondback rattler, biggest of all rattlesnakes... woooo! He's gorgeous! Oh! Oh! So beautiful. Look at that specimen. Look at those venom glands. He's mean! A huge mean male diamondback rattler!! You can tell he's feeling cranky today!!

"Now, I'm just going to take out my penis... there we are... and slap him across the fangs with it a few times!! Okay, mate, everything's okay... I'm just waving hello with my John Thomas.

"See! He rattles! That's his warning... that he doesn't like penises banged against his face. Wooo! Cranky! Not into oral! That's okay, this species isn't, usually.

"Alright, now here we have a pygmy rattler found stranded in the middle of the road. Very aggressive and mean!! Very deadly! Okay, now, I'm just going to pick him up and lower him into my mouth and then swirl him around for awhile like a Napa wine!!

"Then I'm going to spit him out into a bathtub full of steaming water. The pygmy, like all reptiles, adopts the surrounding temperature, so hot water will probably frighten and enrage him!!

"Now I'm just going take off all my clothes and lower myself into the bathtub with the enraged venomous snake and use him as a washrag! Scrubbing my ass with a pygmy rattler! Good stuff!!

<splashing noises>

"Now you definitely don't want to do this, even if you're a trained herpetologist like me, because if you did you might get your own show, and my ratings would drop."

Fin

Tanith you should be ashamed of yourself for not correcting that POST before posting it.. It was a FEMALE Eastern Diamond Back not male... Poor snake would now be traumatized for life or have to move to san fransico.

Got this in my email a year or so ago. Don't know the origin but it seems appropriate.

Subject: For the first time...
....I watched the Crocodile Hunter on Animal Planet last night.

This Australian character certainly does seem to lead an interesting life. I submit to you samples of his dialogue:

"Now this is the eastern diamondback rattler, biggest of all rattlesnakes... woooo! He's gorgeous! Oh! Oh! So beautiful. Look at that specimen. Look at those venom glands. He's mean! A huge mean male diamondback rattler!! You can tell he's feeling cranky today!!

"Now, I'm just going to take out my penis... there we are... and slap him across the fangs with it a few times!! Okay, mate, everything's okay... I'm just waving hello with my John Thomas.

"See! He rattles! That's his warning... that he doesn't like penises banged against his face. Wooo! Cranky! Not into oral! That's okay, this species isn't, usually.

"Alright, now here we have a pygmy rattler found stranded in the middle of the road. Very aggressive and mean!! Very deadly! Okay, now, I'm just going to pick him up and lower him into my mouth and then swirl him around for awhile like a Napa wine!!

"Then I'm going to spit him out into a bathtub full of steaming water. The pygmy, like all reptiles, adopts the surrounding temperature, so hot water will probably frighten and enrage him!!

"Now I'm just going take off all my clothes and lower myself into the bathtub with the enraged venomous snake and use him as a washrag! Scrubbing my ass with a pygmy rattler! Good stuff!!



"Now you definitely don't want to do this, even if you're a trained herpetologist like me, because if you did you might get your own show, and my ratings would drop."
.

You see this as "appropriate"?