What a sting!

By Jeremy Chau, staff writer
Wednesday September 6, 2006

The question on everybody's mind is, “Did the daredevil Steve Irwin really die?” Sadly, the answer is yes. Known to many as the “Crocodile Hunter,” Irwin made himself a household name by performing perilous feats, advocating environmental conservation, and reaching millions on his hit television show, The Crocodile Hunter . Viewers will surely miss the Aussie entertainer and his distinctive Australian accent.

September 4 th was just supposed to be another day in the wild for the animal tamer. That fateful Wednesday, Steve Irwin and his manager John Stainton were filming an underwater documentary at Port Douglas, Australia. Here, a stingray struck Irwin in the chest.

"He came over the top of a stingray and a barb, the stingray's barb, went up and put a hole into his heart,” said Stainton. Although he tried to pull the barb out of his chest as fast as he could, it was too late; the poison had already entered his blood stream, putting him into cardiac arrest immediately.

Without a delay, nearby rescuers quickly came to Irwin's aid, trying to keep him alive as they rushed him onto a medical helicopter at Lowe Isle. Their attempts to save him proved unsuccessful; Steven Irwin could not tame nature this time, and passed away as he was being transferred to the nearest hospital.

Students at FVHS have their own share of say in this shocking event. “I always pictured [Irwin] dying by getting his head eaten by a croc, but getting killed by a fish was a shocking mind blower!” said junior Garrett Davis, who admits that he was surprised by the news.

Yet, the reasons for the stingray's attack still remain a mystery. Though this flat, triangular-shaped fish is armed with an extremely sharp and poisonous barb at the end of its tail, it only attacks when feels threatened. For it to attack the Crocodile Hunter without provocation is strange, considering the last known attack on a human by a stingray was in 1945.

Irwin is succeeded by his family, wife Terri and children Bindi Sue, 8, and Robert, 3. As millions from all over the world mourn his death, it is not yet clear how the funeral will proceed.

“I think it is devastating because I loved watching his shows,” commented senior Evelyn Hung. “I loved hearing his accent and hearing him say, ‘Ah, there she is; ain't she a beaut!' It is sad to see Steve Irwin's career end at such an early point in his life.”