Crikey!

Internationally renowned wildlife enthusiast and conservationist Steve Irwin was killed today while filming stingrays off Australia's Batt Reef, off northeast Queensland. He was 44. Almost always sporting khaki shorts and shirt, Irwin went on TV in Australia in 1992 and, despite (or because of!) speaking in speedy, thickly-accented bursts became an international star when his show Crocodile Hunter was picked up by the Discovery network and syndicated worldwide.

Although I haven't seen many of his shows, Irwin's risk-taking and sheer enthusiasm for his work was (and remains) infectious. Although he may be most famous for leaping onto the backs of crocodiles and getting hands-on time with a wide variety of wildlife, what always astonished me was how respectful he was of the animals, combined with the vast scope of his knowledge and the lack of heavy editing in most segments. Irwin really would explain why cobras have hoods, how the animals perceive their environment, and their typical behaviors while walking through grasslands, finding a cobra, lifting it up by the tail, showing it to the camera, and keeping the animal calm while he spoke. Sometimes with no cuts: it would all be one continuous shot (usually with his wife Terri operating the camera), no "um's" or "uh's," no rambling repetition, and completely unscripted.

One of his shows had me absolutely riveted: he was in the U.S. southwest, walking through desert scrub (in his shorts, of course) trying to find a rattlesnake. And I'm thinking to myself, "He's Australian: what does he know about rattlesnakes?!" For better or for worse, rattlers don't like people. (Honest: they prey on mice, lizards, and rodents, not horses, dogs, or humans.) While there are many species of rattlesnake with different behaviors, rattlesnakes generally lie motionless or hide if they know people are about: about the only time they coil, rattle, and hiss is if they feel trapped or threatened. Unfortunately, rattlers also aren't very smart, so whether they feel trapped or threatened doesn't always bear a strong correlation to reality.

So Irwin's walking along talking about how he'd always wanted to see some of the legendary wildlife of the American West, and there's an small crack at the base of a nearby rock outcropping. "Hey, that looks like a good rattlesnake den!" And he goes loping off toward it, the camera falling behind but still following. I'm thinking this whole thing has to be staged, but as the camera catches up it catches the ground at an odd angle as Irwin pauses to explain were rattlesnakes like to live,. You can see that the ground before the opening has not been swept clear or covered in footprints, indicating this is filming is staged: no: instead, the loose dirt and rocks around the opening display what, to a Nevada boy anyway, looks just like snake traffic. But now it's gone; Irwin's on his belly and crawling headfirst into the hole. And backs out a few seconds later holding a rattlesnake by the tale. "Isn't she a beauty!" he exclaimed.

Interestingly, he once admitted to a fear of parrots, since they'd bitten him so many times.

Irwin's image wasn't quite squeaky-clean: he was criticized in 2004 for getting to close to wildlife in Antarctica while filming a documentary, and (earlier that same year) for holding his infant son Bob in one arm while inside a zoo pen feeding crocodiles. Irwin claimed to have done nothing wrong, and his ebullience—and possibly his celebrity—may have kept officials from penalizing Irwin or charging him with violating safety rules.

According to Irwin's producer John Stainton, Irwin was filming a segment for a series to be called Ocean's Deadliest being produced for his daughter when he apparently swam to close to (or startled) a stingray. Stingrays carry a poisonous barb in their tails which can reach as much as a foot in length; however, most stingrays are very placid and non-aggressive, fleeing rather than fighting. Stingray barbs are rarely fatal to humans, but Irwin was apparently struck in the chest with the barb piercing his heart. Footage of the incident was turned over to Queensland police.

Irwin leaves his wife Terri, daughter Bindi Sue, 8, and son Bob, nearly 3 years of age. His parents founded Australia Zoo in Beerwah, Queensland, a 45-acre zoo and wildlife park which is a major tourist attraction.

Irwin's immediate legacy might be his exuberant interactions with wildlife, but one hopes over the long term, his efforts to promote wildlife conservation, preserve the environment, and eliminate wildlife poaching.