Crocs Rule
On Monday, the world was shocked to hear that crocodile hunter Steve Irwin had been fatally wounded by a stingray while he was snorkeling off north Queensland. News web sites ground to a halt within an hour or so of the first reports being made public. Steve’s own web site was also unreachable as people around the world tried to confirm the reports. It was quickly replaced with a text-only media statement confirming Steve’s untimely death, and the site now features a tribute to Steve. His death was the leading story on all Australian news shows that evening, and many other news shows around the world.
The last few days have seen masses of grievers make the journey to Steve’s Australia Zoo on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast to leave flowers, gifts and well-wishes.
Thousands of mourners have left tributes at a makeshift shrine outside the gates of Australia Zoo
But not everyone was willing to share with the world how much they like Steve. Germaine Greer wrote in her column in the UK’s Guardian:
What Irwin never seemed to understand was that animals need space.
…
Every creature he brandished at the camera was in distress.
And she’s totally right. What Greer doesn’t seem to understand is that Irwin distressed (at a guess) a few thousand animals during his documentary making. By doing this, he was able to reach an audience of half a billion people around the world. And even if we make the almost impossible assumption that he was unable to change even one person’s attitude towards conservation, the money he made from his endeavours was able to fund the purchase of large tracts of land in Australia and overseas, forever protecting them and their inhabitants from the bulldozer.
Regardless of the content of her comments, Greer’s timing was completely insensitive, and she should be deplored for that if nothing else.
So what now? Steve once reluctantly admitted that the main attraction at Australia Zoo was him, and not the animals. Will the zoo survive without him? Australia Zoo is a world-class facility, and there’s no doubt that it will be carrying on Steve’s work for many, many years to come. Steve had also established Wildlife Warriors (formerly the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation), a charity organisation devoted to conservation. In the wake of Steve’s death, Wildlife Warriors has received more than $500,000 in donations. With all of Wildlife Warriors’ administration costs being covered by Australia Zoo, 100% of donations go towards conservation projects, both in Australia and overseas.
Steve’s death has received attention for all over the world. The internet is filled with tributes. Dozens of home-made video tributes have been posted by fans on video hosting services such as YouTube and Google Video. A virtual tribute was also planned by players of the World of Warcraft game. Players planned to have their characters meet by the shores of a crocodile-like-creature-infested swamp in the game.
News that Steve’s death had been videoed started the debate of whether or not the video should be released. While it will definitely never be deliberated released, there are fears that bootlegged copies will eventually make their way online. Hoax videos have already started to appear on the web.
Like him or loath him, it seems that an awful lot of people knew about Steve Irwin. With his wife, Terri, and kids, Bindi and Bob, the team of dedicated staff at Australia Zoo, and Wildlife Warriors around the globe, there’s no doubt that Steve’s legacy will live on forever.