Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter", was killed in a freak accident yesterday while snorkeling off the coast of Australia. He was 44. He was stabbed in the chest by a stingray spine. He was swimming near the stingray while filming a documentary for television called The World's Deadliest. Stingrays are notoriously shy and would rather run than attack. They extendtheir spines when they feel threatened and trapped. Reports do not seem to indicate that Mr. Irwin was threatening the ray; it is speculated though, that the ray felt trapped between Irwin and the cameraman. Mr. Irwin was a tireless conservationist, raising money for and founding several nature preserves primarily in his native land of Australia. While he was a hotdogger and blatant self-promoter, who was compared to a modern day bear-baiter, his promotion brought to light species and areas that needed conservation help. He will be greatly missed, not only by his wife and two young children, but also by the conservation community and his many fans.