My son adored Steve Irwin - we have watched literally hundreds of hours of The Crocodile Hunter. This is just the saddest news for our household - so horribly terribly sad.
He was a person doing good things for the world and his death is beyond tragic.
I feel so bad for his family - for everyone who knew and loved him dearly.
We actually have not told him yet. He's only 4 and we're thinking maybe we can let him keep enjoying the show for a while - Steve is so much larger than life to him - his hero really - that right now he seems impossible to kill. I just don't want to be the one to break that news.
It's just such a heartbreaker - whether you liked his style or not, you had to appreciate what he was doing for animals.
Oh, don't tell him, how awful--he is too little!
(This has been one of those days where I realize how unbelievably cut off I am from popular culture, I have no television and no child and I literally had never heard of this guy before. But I am going to keep an eye out and see if I can check out some of his stuff.)
He is pretty over the top and might even seem hyperactive when you watch his show, but he clearly knows his stuff when it comes to animals and is such a big activist for wildlife.
It's just such a loss.
For kids though - I can't think of anyone else that my son has so loved. We watch his shows on the Animal Planet channel all the time and also have several on DVD. Steve (and his wife Terri) have always talked to kids in the programs like they are smart - not stupid.
Honestly I don't know why this is bothering me so terribly much. I guess he was just doing good in the world and we so need more of that.
I am Colleen's "Aunt" and got to know Steve Irwin through her son! GOSH it hit me like a ton of bricks I guess...I have cried and cried over this TREMENDOUS lose of life from our global communinty. I never met him; had heard "if him" and only recently was able to understand his work through my great-nephew. We are a family of animal lovers but Steve and his American wife (who is from the same great state of Oregon where I live)--- they were "walking the talk" which speaking for myself - many of us DO NOT DO! My heart goes out to his family and friends at this time of his untimely death from a totally freak accident!!
Colleen Mondor is a Bookslut columnist and reviewer for Booklist and Eclectica Magazine. She writes about aviation in Alaska and haunted places in Florida.
September 4
2006
09:13 AM
Oh no, and I just made a mildly frivolous remark about that story on my blog, I realized as I was saying it that it was probably inappropriate--but I am very, very sorry, Colleen. How sad, and esp. awful for your son too, and for all the kids who loved his shows.