After I finally accepted that it wwas real and he was gone I had a most irreverant thought which was
"poor graham {the salt water croc that bit Wes a few years back at the zoo} He'll never get another chance at Steve-o"
It would be interesting if someone did a study on how the animals at the zoo reacted to all the grief around them. They have to sense it, they have to be missing him.
I was a daring kid too Lingo and i sorta relate to his life in a modest been there done that sort of way, he pushed limits I wouldn't have but that is what an explorer does is to push the limits of reality and challenge our thinking.
I'm a momma hen too tho and want my junior explorers to have a decent set of skills to cope with such uncertainties and not to face these things unprepared.
Sudo I'm guessing that what with the extra folks along with Steves adventure (the cameraman editor and guide) that his sponsers had a Dr and antivenom nearby. His injuries were probably not expected ( I mean how many times do you hear of a diver getting speared by a stingray?) Me thinks he pushed the limits one too many times and paid the price for it but on the other hand what a good ride he had (and we who share in his adventures and awareness)
Some of us marvelled when he handled the Black Mamba snake. Especially me.
Thirty four years ago in Vietnam I was walking across a sandy divide between a wooded area and our compound. I saw a small green snake heading toward the compound. Finding a large rock, I hurled it at the snake. I missed. To my shock, the snake turned and headed toward me, incredibly fast. I turned and ran as fast as I could, somehow now sensing this snake was dangerous, but how dangerous I did not know. I only threw the rock at it because I hated snakes.
I outran the snake and some fifty yards later I turned to see the snake about thirty feet behind me, which had suddenly decided to stop, turn and head some other way other than the compound. It ceased chasing me.
Returning to the compound that night, I got to my barracks and told members of my company what had happened. One of the more experienced vets put his cigarette on the floor, stomping on it with his boot. Blowing the last of the smoke out of the side of his mouth, he looked up at me and said, "You're an idiot".
Angrily, I shot back, "What the hell do you know about it (the snake). He looked around at the other guys there, then back at me and said, "We call it the One-Step".
"What's does "One-Step" mean?" I asked.
"It means," he said, "that if he had bitten you, you would walk one step, then drop dead. There is no antidote."
That day I went from just hating snakes to actually fearing them. I never challenged a snake again. I guess Steve Irwin would have went back out to hunt it down for the next day's breakfast.
I can handle quite a bit and that covers an animal that is messing with me, but snakes. Nope, they are the big dogs. I hate them with a passion. And they smell the fear.
Living here in Australia, a lot of the Aussies are saying that if he was wearing sunblock he would have been protected from the most harmful rays. I think this is harsh ,but Aussies have a sense of humour, to deal with the loss of Steve Irvin, so sad to hear of his loss of life as he was so diligent with showing the world his knowledge of animals.
I think its a classic example of "he who lives by the sword..".
I, on the other hand, think that with only 3 fatalities involving Sting Rays during the entire history of Austrailia, it has little to do with his involvment with snakes or any sort of bravado involving Black Mambas.
What happened here was a very unfortunate set of circumstances that do not come about often.
Speaking for myself, I will miss Mr. Irvin. He was a very entertaining fellow who actually managed to teach something valuable while being entertaining.
Oh yeah I was wearing gloves at the time, either driving gloves, work gloves or those super heavy duty kennel gloves they don't make anymore that were like 3 layers thick and could prolly stop a .38.
What ever happened to good leather products anyway?
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Bluzeman
Some really good political cartoons memorializing him on THIS site.
Rick
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templelady
After I finally accepted that it wwas real and he was gone I had a most irreverant thought which was
"poor graham {the salt water croc that bit Wes a few years back at the zoo} He'll never get another chance at Steve-o"
It would be interesting if someone did a study on how the animals at the zoo reacted to all the grief around them. They have to sense it, they have to be missing him.
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herbiejuan
I'm sure they do or will.
I was a daring kid too Lingo and i sorta relate to his life in a modest been there done that sort of way, he pushed limits I wouldn't have but that is what an explorer does is to push the limits of reality and challenge our thinking.
I'm a momma hen too tho and want my junior explorers to have a decent set of skills to cope with such uncertainties and not to face these things unprepared.
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herbiejuan
Sudo I'm guessing that what with the extra folks along with Steves adventure (the cameraman editor and guide) that his sponsers had a Dr and antivenom nearby. His injuries were probably not expected ( I mean how many times do you hear of a diver getting speared by a stingray?) Me thinks he pushed the limits one too many times and paid the price for it but on the other hand what a good ride he had (and we who share in his adventures and awareness)
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Eagle
"I hate snakes..." Indiana Jones
Some of us marvelled when he handled the Black Mamba snake. Especially me.
Thirty four years ago in Vietnam I was walking across a sandy divide between a wooded area and our compound. I saw a small green snake heading toward the compound. Finding a large rock, I hurled it at the snake. I missed. To my shock, the snake turned and headed toward me, incredibly fast. I turned and ran as fast as I could, somehow now sensing this snake was dangerous, but how dangerous I did not know. I only threw the rock at it because I hated snakes.
I outran the snake and some fifty yards later I turned to see the snake about thirty feet behind me, which had suddenly decided to stop, turn and head some other way other than the compound. It ceased chasing me.
Returning to the compound that night, I got to my barracks and told members of my company what had happened. One of the more experienced vets put his cigarette on the floor, stomping on it with his boot. Blowing the last of the smoke out of the side of his mouth, he looked up at me and said, "You're an idiot".
Angrily, I shot back, "What the hell do you know about it (the snake). He looked around at the other guys there, then back at me and said, "We call it the One-Step".
"What's does "One-Step" mean?" I asked.
"It means," he said, "that if he had bitten you, you would walk one step, then drop dead. There is no antidote."
That day I went from just hating snakes to actually fearing them. I never challenged a snake again. I guess Steve Irwin would have went back out to hunt it down for the next day's breakfast.
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ChattyKathy
Snakes are yukky!
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herbiejuan
I've *handled* rattlers deer possums and rabid dogs
"mad dogs" and slightly pi$$ed off wild animals
and slightly bent people
They can all be managed sucessfully if you have a good corperate sponser
if not you are on yer own
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ChattyKathy
I can handle quite a bit and that covers an animal that is messing with me, but snakes. Nope, they are the big dogs. I hate them with a passion. And they smell the fear.
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fellowshipper
Living here in Australia, a lot of the Aussies are saying that if he was wearing sunblock he would have been protected from the most harmful rays. I think this is harsh ,but Aussies have a sense of humour, to deal with the loss of Steve Irvin, so sad to hear of his loss of life as he was so diligent with showing the world his knowledge of animals.
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templelady
Naw, He would have said something like "whew, green one step
isn't he a little beauty"
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SFSailor
I, on the other hand, think that with only 3 fatalities involving Sting Rays during the entire history of Austrailia, it has little to do with his involvment with snakes or any sort of bravado involving Black Mambas.
What happened here was a very unfortunate set of circumstances that do not come about often.
Speaking for myself, I will miss Mr. Irvin. He was a very entertaining fellow who actually managed to teach something valuable while being entertaining.
SFSailor
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herbiejuan
I took risks when I was kid, thats probably not much of a surprise tho.
I learned early on that if I got ahold of a dogs bottom jaw he would be neutralised. I needed to do that several times since.
Thankfully I've never needed to break it.
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herbiejuan
Oh yeah I was wearing gloves at the time, either driving gloves, work gloves or those super heavy duty kennel gloves they don't make anymore that were like 3 layers thick and could prolly stop a .38.
What ever happened to good leather products anyway?
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