September 4, 2006

• Crocodile Hunter Gone

  But A Legend Never Dies

  

  I feel like we’ve lost a distant relative. Steve Irwin was a great guy- a strong personality, and probably a little irritating to some people, but a good man. He was killed today by a stingray barb to the heart.

  An African croc hunter (unlike Irwin, he is a killer and has killed thousands of crocs) respected him and said that being killed that way was “not a fitting end”, as though it was embarassing- that he should have died by a croc. I beg to differ- in fact, I demand to differ.

  I feel this is the way he would have wanted to go- if he was to be killed it would be doing what he loved, and not by crocs. This way, his children will not fear or resent crocodiles- nor will people as a whole fear or resent them. There will not be people on TV saying “Look at him! We all knew eventually all his carelessness with crocs would get him killed!” I think, personally, that this is Steve’s way of being able to say “Yes, I was killed doing what I loved- but not by crocs. I knew crocs till the end, I respected them, and I never died by them.”

  I hurt more for his family than him- his two children, especially his daughter, are going to grow up without a Dad. But I am sure the entire zoo will be like a second family to them now. I think this also teaches us all a lesson- the seemingly harmless danger we don’t really look at is far more deadly than the obvious danger right before us.

  Farewell Croc Hunter. You were loved, and will be remembered.

  -Patrick

  • 9:51 am
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