CROCODILE TEARS
It might seem odd to some that a man who kissed crocodilians and venomous snakes on the lips would be killed by an overgrown pancake, but that is precisely what has happened.
Steve Irwin, aka, the Crocodile Hunter (on Discovery Channel's Animal Planet) was killed recently by a stingray. The stingray, a swimming pancake, is a shy, defensive animal and its venom is rarely lethal.
Indeed, out of the billions of times amateurs have waded into the seas, only two people in recorded history were ever killed by a stingray prior to Mr. Irwin. Since 1948, there had only been one. So much for invincibility. More people have been killed by sand dollars.
Following in the footsteps of other self-aggrandizers, like the self-professed animal activist, Timothy Treadwell (Grizzly Man) and the circus performer, Roy, of Siegfried and Roy, Steve Irwin was consumed by his passion. A barb on the stingray's tail harpooned Irwin's heart, instantly ending his life at the age of 44.
Treadwell was also dead in the prime of his life, eaten, along with his girlfriend, by an aging grisly bear. Roy was mauled by a tiger -- just because his name was Roy. Unless you answer to the name of "Trigger," animals don't like humans named "Roy." But I digress.
Wild animals rarely read scripts and deadly ones are labeled as such because they can kill you. They shed no tears when you're gone. To taunt them for audience effect is to send the wrong message, no matter how well intended.
Those who get a dopamine rush convincing others that they have a Dr. Doolittle gift with dangerous animals, (all in the name of saving them), do themselves and their audience a disservice. We do not need to touch crocs or grisly's. We need to leave them alone.
At the height of his arrogance, Steve Irwin held his infant son within arms distance of a giant feeding crocodile. Posing the baby in front of the crock, Mr. Irwin moved his month-old son's legs in a mock escape from the croc, all to the delight of his fans. He later apologized for the stunt, but only for "scaring" the crowd.
While your heart goes out to this appealingly boyish and amusing Aussie and his family, the world is so full of people not tempting death yet finding it anyway, to shed too many tears over those who seem to invite it.
It might seem odd to some that a man who kissed crocodilians and venomous snakes on the lips would be killed by an overgrown pancake, but that is precisely what has happened.
Steve Irwin, aka, the Crocodile Hunter (on Discovery Channel's Animal Planet) was killed recently by a stingray. The stingray, a swimming pancake, is a shy, defensive animal and its venom is rarely lethal.
Indeed, out of the billions of times amateurs have waded into the seas, only two people in recorded history were ever killed by a stingray prior to Mr. Irwin. Since 1948, there had only been one. So much for invincibility. More people have been killed by sand dollars.
Following in the footsteps of other self-aggrandizers, like the self-professed animal activist, Timothy Treadwell (Grizzly Man) and the circus performer, Roy, of Siegfried and Roy, Steve Irwin was consumed by his passion. A barb on the stingray's tail harpooned Irwin's heart, instantly ending his life at the age of 44.
Treadwell was also dead in the prime of his life, eaten, along with his girlfriend, by an aging grisly bear. Roy was mauled by a tiger -- just because his name was Roy. Unless you answer to the name of "Trigger," animals don't like humans named "Roy." But I digress.
Wild animals rarely read scripts and deadly ones are labeled as such because they can kill you. They shed no tears when you're gone. To taunt them for audience effect is to send the wrong message, no matter how well intended.
Those who get a dopamine rush convincing others that they have a Dr. Doolittle gift with dangerous animals, (all in the name of saving them), do themselves and their audience a disservice. We do not need to touch crocs or grisly's. We need to leave them alone.
At the height of his arrogance, Steve Irwin held his infant son within arms distance of a giant feeding crocodile. Posing the baby in front of the crock, Mr. Irwin moved his month-old son's legs in a mock escape from the croc, all to the delight of his fans. He later apologized for the stunt, but only for "scaring" the crowd.
While your heart goes out to this appealingly boyish and amusing Aussie and his family, the world is so full of people not tempting death yet finding it anyway, to shed too many tears over those who seem to invite it.
posted by R. Reynolds at 7:55 AM
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