4.9.06

in memoriam croc hunter

Q: Many concerned fans, including Connie Games and Chris Baird, have heard rumors that you have been bitten by a very venomous snake and have died. Others worried that you had succumbed to a fatal crocodile bite. Are you OK?

A: I've never been bitten by a venomous snake, and I recently heard that I'd been killed. Ha ha! I've been killed by crocodiles, venomous snakes, spiders. I've even had a beetle crawl in my ear and kill me once. Nah! I'm here to tell you: Steve Irwin lives!

update 1:
Steve Irwin, the TV host known as the "Crocodile Hunter," has died after being stung by a stingray off Australia's north coast. Irwin, 44 was killed by a stingray barb that went through his chest, according to police sources. Irwin was filming an underwater documentary at the time.

update 2:
In 2004, he was widely condemned for feeding a snapping crocodile at his zoo while holding his then one-month-old baby son. Later the same year, he was also criticized for disturbing whales, seals and penguins while filming in Antarctica. He was later cleared of any wrongdoing by the Australian government's environment department.

update 3:
Irwin, who caught his first crocodile at the age of nine, had many close calls with rare and dangerous animals, crawling through forests and rivers around the world. He boasted that he had never been bitten by a venomous snake or seriously bitten by a crocodile, although admitted his worst injuries had been inflicted by parrots. "I don't know what it is with parrots but they always bite me," Irwin once said. "A cockatoo once tried to rip the end of my nose off. I don't know what they've got against me."

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