Crikey! Croc hunter Steve Irwin dead! - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

yal · #31 09-04-2006, 09:39 PM

Shame

He was entertaining and educating. All those times he almost died and then he goes out in a freak sting ray attack

At the very least he was a real nice guy

t walgamuth · #32 09-04-2006, 09:58 PM

i am a dog lover but am very careful around other folks dogs.

they ALWAYS say they dont bite.

as an old paperboy i never turn my back on a strange dog. ( i have been nipped on the butt before).

tom w

cmac2012 · #33 09-05-2006, 04:54 AM

The encyc. Brittanica says Aussie stingrays can get up to 3 meters wide and 4 meters long. That's a lot of muscle well adapted to aquatic living. Also said that the stingers from the big ones have been known to pierce wooden boats.

Although it's a freak accident, they say it does happen now and then, word I heard is that wounds to the abdomen can easily be fatal, the toxin being able to attack the organs.

BENZ-LGB · #34 09-05-2006, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cmac2012

The encyc. Brittanica says Aussie stingrays can get up to 3 meters wide and 4 meters long. That's a lot of muscle well adapted to aquatic living. Also said that the stingers from the big ones have been known to pierce wooden boats.

Holy mackerel !!!

John Doe · #35 09-05-2006, 10:31 AM

Animals are not for our entertainment?

Don't mess with wild animals, but take advantage of the fact that someone else domesticated wild horses and dogs previously which we now use for entertainment

Watching National Geographic the other night spotlighting (blinding) a pack of Hyeinas for my entertainment (and I suppose, education). Saw the same thing last night, where they were harrassing a group of hippos and crocs.

#36 09-05-2006, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Doe

Certainly you have seen and swam with much larger rays in the Carribean? Ever hear of anyone getting tagged by a swimming ray? I haven't and was just commenting it was a freak accident. We killed several Cow Nose Rays (bow and arrow) this summer over our oyster seeds up to about 80#. Mmmm, bat wing scallops.

Yea I saw some bigguns, he must have been really pissing that thing off. The latest report says that there have been two fatalities in Austrailia on record.

Two!, He is in a special club with thrill junkies that die from the oddest things, it reminds me of an old Army buddy who had more decorations than the White House Christmas Tree. He was on his way back from a very dangerous mission in South America, the squad was riding in the back of a open Humvee and were thrown out when they hit a bump in the road; Two of the four died and the two that survived had back injuries that will last a lifetime wink wink.

Life is strange.

curbfeeler · #37 09-05-2006, 11:21 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PbRzLvDKR4

Footage of a diver chasing a bull ray.

Zeus · #38 09-05-2006, 12:04 PM

Sad news - I think that as much as Steve Irwin seemed to be a flashy thrill-seeking wildlife TV guy, he did seem to have a real passion and interest in conservation. Sad that he leaves two young children and a wife behind...

BENZ-LGB · #39 09-05-2006, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yal

Shame

He was entertaining and educating. All those times he almost died and then he goes out in a freak sting ray attack

At the very least he was a real nice guy

He seemed like a very nice person, and the outpouring of heart felt grief seems to attest to that.

Education is one thing, entertainment at the expense of animals is quite another.

People don't seem to understand the difference between one and the other.

For example, dogs were domesticated many eons ago. In doing so they gave up their wild nature in exchange for a relative measure of comfort, safety and a steady supply of food. Not sure how dogs are used for entertainment value, except if you are a fan of Paris Hilton and her Chihuahua or if you frequent the Soviet circus for their dancing dogs.

True horse people don't use horses for entertainment. Horse shows showcase the horses' natural running and jumping abilities. Race horses lead very pampered lives.

There is a world of difference between taking an alligator in the wild and yanking his tail to see him twist and turn (like the Croc guy did) and working with dogs and horses to showcase their natural abilities (which is what true horse and dog people do).

Of course, people who enjoy the "sport" of fishing, where they hook a fish with a metal barb in its mouth, yank him to the surface, take pics and then throw the fish back wouldn't understand the difference.

I would love to see some of those same people get hooked by visiting space aliens, yanked up the mother ship, get anally probed, tagged, photographed and then tossed back. That's the kind of entertainment we might all enjoy.

Might even make it a Div. III sport, but of course, no athletic scholarhsips would be given for that.

#40 09-05-2006, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

i am a dog lover but am very careful around other folks dogs.

they ALWAYS say they dont bite.

as an old paperboy i never turn my back on a strange dog. ( i have been nipped on the butt before).

tom w

My neighbor has a boy and a girl golden retriever. They are two sweet dogs that frequently come by and say "hello". One day, I turned my back on them to go inside after they came by. They both ripped the rear pockets off my jeans and proceeded to rip my leather jacket to shreds. They must have really been starved for attention that day. My wife couldn't stop laughing when she saw me come in the house.

BENZ-LGB · #41 09-05-2006, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surf-n-Turf

Whoops, sounds like the fishing trip is off if you make it out this way. Although usually the fish are invited home for dinner.

BTW horses don't naturally jump. That's why you can keep them fenced in.

Never was much into fishing.

Watching the fish gasp for air reminds me of an asthma attack...so I "feel" for the fish. I read someplace (can't remember where) that in Germany in order to get a fishing license you need to be able to demonstrate that you can kill a fish with a hammer blow to the head once the fish is landed --WHACK!!! no more gasping for air. Those wacky Germans!

As for the horses jumping, I used to think the same until a poster here (and my horse riding daughter) both convinced me that horses do naturally jump.

Posted by WVOtoGO a while back ago:

BTW - We have a pasture full of horses here. My daughter has 3. My son has 1. My wife and I each have 2. None of them have been “trained” to jump anything. All but the Shetland will jump the fence (or plow through it. Ref. the tank of a Paint Horse she‘s on, attached) if we didn’t feed them where they are, and teased them with rolled oats or carrots on the other side of the fence. No (normal) horse will starve to death while looking at (and smelling) feed through a fence. None of ours will, anyway.

I too thought that horses had to be trained to jump. Apparently not!

Mistress · #42 09-06-2006, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davestlouis

I suppose it's crass to ask, but I wonder if they got the "incident" on film...

you have to ask ....it'll surface (no pun intended) in due time.

Mistress · #43 09-06-2006, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BENZ-LGB

Never was much into fishing.

Watching the fish gasp for air reminds me of an asthma attack...so I "feel" for the fish. I read someplace (can't remember where) that in Germany in order to get a fishing license you need to be able to demonstrate that you can kill a fish with a hammer blow to the head once the fish is landed --WHACK!!! no more gasping for air. Those wacky Germans!

As for the horses jumping, I used to think the same until a poster here (and my horse riding daughter) both convinced me that horses do naturally jump.

Posted by WVOtoGO a while back ago:

BTW - We have a pasture full of horses here. My daughter has 3. My son has 1. My wife and I each have 2. None of them have been “trained” to jump anything. All but the Shetland will jump the fence (or plow through it. Ref. the tank of a Paint Horse she‘s on, attached) if we didn’t feed them where they are, and teased them with rolled oats or carrots on the other side of the fence. No (normal) horse will starve to death while looking at (and smelling) feed through a fence. None of ours will, anyway.

I too thought that horses had to be trained to jump. Apparently not!

Oye Mojito- You have not lived until you are strapped into (yeah I know) a fighting chair, on a fishing boat at 6:30 a.m. with a bunch of hung over men and their wives....off the coast of Hatteras.....the best part is just passing the Oregon inlet and Randy the captain opens those engines up full throttle and the sea spray hits your face. ummmmm Chaos rods...

BENZ-LGB · #44 09-06-2006, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mistress

Oye Mojito- You have not lived until you are strapped into (yeah I know) a fighting chair, on a fishing boat at 6:30 a.m. with a bunch of hung over men and their wives....off the coast of Hatteras.....the best part is just passing the Oregon inlet and Randy the captain opens those engines up full throttle and the sea spray hits your face. ummmmm Chaos rods...

I can do the speeding boat, the fighting chair, the booze and even the wives part...just leave me out of the actual fishing.

If I am ever going to do any fishing it will be a la Hemingway, mano-a-mano with the big guy. It is more sporting....

cmac2012 · #45 09-06-2006, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mistress

you have to ask ....it'll surface (no pun intended) in due time.

Word I've read is they do have it on film. I hope to hell it never reaches the public domain. The guy deserves better than having a virtual snuff film of him go round the world.

OTOH, some might say it'll add to the knowledge of how to safely dive around stingrays.

Still, I don't want to see it.