Leaving Port Douglas on Friday
Australian television animal show personality, Steve Irwin, “The Crocodile Hunter,” was killed instantly while filming a new documentary at Batt Reef off Northern Queensland. Irwin was swimming directy over a stingray, which struck upward. Its barb penetrated Irwin’s chest, puncturing his heart.
Irwin’s death was evidently captured on film.
Smooth Stingray, aka Bull Ray Dasyatis brevicaudata Information sheet
UPDATE
Later reports say the film shows that Irwin pulled the stingray’s barb out of his chest before succumbing.
FATALLY injured by a stingray, Steve Irwin pulled its barb out of his chest before losing consciousness, dramatic footage of his last moments reveals.
Friend John Stainton said the footage of the stingray attack which took the life of the Crocodile Hunter on the Great Barrier Reef yesterday was “shocking”.
Mr Irwin, 44, died after the stingray barb punctured his chest while snorkelling off Port Douglas, in far north Queensland, yesterday.
A cameraman captured the incident during filming for Irwin’s new project with daughter Bindi, eight, that was to debut in the United States next year.
“I did see the footage and it’s shocking,” Mr Stainton said today in Cairns.
“It’s a very hard thing to watch because you’re actually witnessing somebody die … and it’s terrible.”
Mr Stainton, also a producer and director of Irwin’s popular television shows, said the footage showed Mr Irwin pulling the barb out of his chest before losing consciousness.
“It shows that Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him here (in the chest), and he pulled it out and the next minute he’s gone.
“That was it. The cameraman had to shut down.
phelina clement and McKensey Bouley
thank you so much for the information on exactly what happened to Steve Irwin. I have been searching all night and finally received some pictures of the kind of stingray that took Steve’s life. This is so sad and hard to find words to say except good,healthy wishes to Terri and the children also Steve’s father,family,all of his dedicated crew,and for writing great information. Again thank you so much Phelina Clement age 43 and my daughter McKensey Bouley age 10. We will certainly thank God for each and every day we have.
Jamari
Steve was kind of kooky but he did so much for the environment and animals. He poured all the millions he made into preserving the wildlife and the environment and I just think we should all pay our respects. He was not just a nationally recognised symbol but international. I just hope that his spirit lives on in many other Australians out there and we all chip in to save the environment form needless destruction.
Peace out and long live the croc hunter.
Ilse
dear Steve, we will miss you unbelievably much, so awfully much, so many tears will flow… you were just a great person, the best wildlife rescuer EVER!!!!!!! we will never ever forget you, never of my life, and if I do, let me die the same way as you did. I will fight further for you, fight further for the animals and all the wildlife, I will never give up, never. I will miss you for the rest of my life, even though I never watched your shows much, now I do. when my father told me you died, a huge shock went through me. it has changed my life more than anyone can imagine.
I hope I can bring on your message to my children, when I’m an adult, and to anyone I know, so you won’t be forgotten, you will always be in our hearts. I cry with you, Terri.
TANAY
First I did not no any thing about Steve Irwin when I saw a show on animal planet I was amazed of his way to catch crocs without hurting them.Best wishs for Steve’s family.
Steve Bosell
When will the film of Mr. Irwin’s death be made public? Will it be sold as a DVD or as a pay per view event? I’d be willing to pay $19.95 to see him yanking on that sting ray’s barb in his chest. Imagine the suprise old Steve had when that devil fish pinned him! I feel so sorry for him and his family. I wonder if he would still be so fond of nature since it ended up killing him in the end? Does anyone know if a large bubble or bubbles came out of his chest when he got poked? Just wondering. I believe that they should do a pay per view and use the proceeds to hunt down and kil every sting ray in the Great Barrier Reef. I am an active diver and I have killed over 100 rays since his death. I also pay the Mexicans one dollar per corpse when I am there diving. Normally when they go fishing and catch one, they just let them go. I even let them keep the dead ones when I am out of town and when I come back I pay them for each dead devil fish. I paid out over $850 the last time I went to Cozumel. I dump the dead ones back to the sea. This is my tribute to Mr. Irwin.
laurel
i dont know who you are but you did not know steve irwin at all he would have NEVER wanted any sting ray killed because of his death i hope you are able to read up on what steve was like and stop doing what you are doing and stop saying your doing it for steve
go to his web sites croc hunter
australain zoo
watch his shows
please learn about him and stop what you are doing
Jessie
Yea is his death going to be shown on video or DVD? Because i would like to see how it all happened.
July 31 um 6:46pm
John
Mr. Laurel- Knowing Steve Irwin’s personality, and the love he had for wildlife, I know Steve Irwin would have never blammed the stingray for his death. He would have blammed the stingray last if anything, no wait, he wouldn’t blame the stingray at all. Steve Irwin always said that he would die for wildlife, and die doing that. Everytime he got bitten by a snake or a crocodile, or kicked by a kangaroo he always told us that it was his fault because he knew the dangers of comming up on that animal. Also, Steve would always tell the camera men to always keep rolling, and that if anything happened to him, including death, to show it so we learn how to respect the animal. I love animals just like Steveo did, and if I were to be killed by an animal I would want people to learn from my mistake, and to also learn how to conserve the animal, not kill it. Knowing how Steve was, I know that he would not be happy with what you are doing Mr. Laurel, he would be very dissapointed. I erge you to stop this massacre of the stingrays, your destruction of such beautiful and magestic creatures is the type of stupidity and eragance Steve Irwin was trying to stop. Over the past two centuries, only seven people have been killed by a stingray, and I am sure that you, one person, has killed more than just seven stingrays, I am not even including all the other people who have killed stingrays, so who do you think is a bigger threat, the stingray or the human?. Just because ONE stingray kills a human does not mean you go and kill hundreds of stingrays, that would be like killing one mans family for accidentally killing one person, now how much since does that make? wait give me a milisecond. NONE!! Mr. Laurel, you are no friend of mine or Steve Irwin. I beg of you, with every ounce of energy in me, please stop the killing of God’s great gifts to the planet, or else we might lose something that future generations can not marvel at, and that can never come back, and can never be replaced. Do it for me, do it for Steve, but especially do it for the stingrays and the world. -John
John
Sorry Laurel, I meant Seve Bosell.
ssl
dear steve i admire your kindness to animals.You have taught me that crocodiles arent as bad as they look.I cant believe you are’nt with us anymore iwill miss you.I mean…..we will miss you
You will always live on in our lives!
peace be with you and your family steve!
Haldersio
why would anyone want to watch footage of someone dying, Some sick twisted people in this world
Athena Caswell
I have tried to find this website nd i found it atlast. It was so tragic wen i herd about his deth i hpe for the best for his family, dedicated crewman nd also his frends. R.I.P STEVE xx
Athena Caswell
I had also learnt alot from steve he inspired me. I had neva thought he would die like this he was inspiring young nd older people. R.I.P STEVE xx
Jenessa Smith
I miss him very much. I was always moved by his love for animals, and respected him for all the work he did to help raise awareness about wildlife. He is an inspiration and I hope that more people will be effected by his love and what he stands for. Also, I don’t know what kind of person would think killing stingrays is what Mr. Irwin would have wanted them to do. He would have wanted the opposite. I listened to an interview shortly after his death, and a good friend of his stated that Steve always knew that if any wildlife would kill him it would be something from the ocean, because he wasn’t as comfortable or knowledgeable there as he was with other animals. If anyone knows who this interview was with, please let me know! Thank you.
Julie
What you wrote, Steve Bosell, is horrifying. My son and I just pulled out one of several old VHS (yes, VHS) tapes we have had for many years and watched Steve and Terri save crocodiles. We were curious how and what Terri was doing now and a little more about stingrays. We swam with stingrays out in the ocean last month in Grand Cayman. They are simply amazing creatures. Hope you are well, Terri and kids.
–from a fellow Oregonian
Steve Bozell
I don’t care, I am still killing them. I don’t think anyone know what Irwin would have wanted after going through that.
I’ve started making some cool necklaces out of their barbs!
michael purcell, London U.K
steve irwin would not want any rays killed because one killed him! he’s not a hypacrite like some people are! he was just very unfortunate to get barbed through the heart – as it is very rare! Most people survive ray attacks – but no one would’ve survived what happened to steve, so count yourself lucky out there! it’s easy to judge a person when they’re dead isn’t it?
michael purcell, London U.K
I’d just like to add, steve bozell you are a sad idiot with brains in your pants! I hope steve irwin comes back and haunts you for the rest of your life! you would never understand what irwin was about – you probably don’t even remember what you last had to eat! plonker!
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