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Posts: 103
Location: Townsville, Australia | Originally posted by muzza:
By 'harassing wild animals' he was making the greater public aware of the plight of many endangered species.
ALL of the profits from his TV work and from Australia Zoo went into conservation.
Well Up here people feel for the family but most I have spoken with say well what did he expect.
As for pouring his money into conservation I think you'll find that he made a personal fortune and that his Zoo will continue and make even more for his family, it isn't a charity that he developed. He had an act and developed and exploited animals to his own ends and found an extremely lucrative market for it here and in the USA.
I don't say he didn't promote conservation, but many others do more or the same but a lot more quietly and without agitating animals to show how brave and quick he is.
Plenty of people have jobs relocating crocs and it's not to save them being put down, as they are put down only in exceptional circumstances. The law is very stictly policed about this.
He ran the odds and finally got caught, stingrays are skitish and deadly, a teenager died up here in teh past attempting to boat one he had hooked when fishing; wack in the chest as well.
Personally I always thought he was a dickhead and promoted a false image of Aussies. |
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Posts: 55
Location: Pennsylvania | Originally posted by Slipkid:
Yikes Bob.
If that were me that diamond back would have ended up being part of cwk2's boots real fast. LOL
I could,nt blame the snake. If i did'nt have arms and legs, and someone picked me up by my neck, i would probably try to bite them too... :) |
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Posts: 55
Location: Pennsylvania | Originally posted by Hobie:
Originally posted by muzza:
By 'harassing wild animals' he was making the greater public aware of the plight of many endangered species.
ALL of the profits from his TV work and from Australia Zoo went into conservation.
Well Up here people feel for the family but most I have spoken with say well what did he expect.
As for pouring his money into conservation I think you'll find that he made a personal fortune and that his Zoo will continue and make even more for his family, it isn't a charity that he developed. He had an act and developed and exploited animals to his own ends and found an extremely lucrative market for it here and in the USA.
I don't say he didn't promote conservation, but many others do more or the same but a lot more quietly and without agitating animals to show how brave and quick he is.
Plenty of people have jobs relocating crocs and it's not to save them being put down, as they are put down only in exceptional circumstances. The law is very stictly policed about this.
He ran the odds and finally got caught, stingrays are skitish and deadly, a teenager died up here in teh past attempting to boat one he had hooked when fishing; wack in the chest as well.
Personally I always thought he was a dickhead and promoted a false image of Aussies.
I think you are being "way" harsh. |
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Posts: 1138
Location: CT | At least he didn't get hit by a bus. I think that would have pissed him off. |
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January 2005
Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by brainslag:
At least he didn't get hit by a bus. Like that Jesus guy in the video ... |
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Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | Dave,
You are soooo not getting a Christmas card from me this year...
M(wish I'd thought of it first)Woody |
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Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | ". . that diamond back would have ended up being part of cwk2's boots real fast . ."
At least a guitar strap ;-)
I do believe that Irwin had a lot of genuine love and respect for animals, and he HAD been instrumental in instilling WildlifeConservation (especially in children). But he DID have an annoying penchant for invading the animal's habitat/comfort zone expressly for the purpose of showing off his skills at snatching, grappling, wrestling the animal into submission. Education with an equal dose of grand-standing.
(At least Marlin Perkins had the common sense t'stay BEHIND the camera and used "Jim" as bait . . .)
After Irwin had kind of "done it all" (including that god-awful movie), he and his producers decided to put him in the water, and he was toatally out of his element. He himself admitted that if he ever "went", it'd probably be in the ocean . . .
Shame that he's gone, but admittedly, the only "surprise" was that it was a stingray . . . |
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Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Reasons not to visit Australia...
According to Bill Bryson in his book 'In A Sunburned Country' there are, pound for pound, more ways to die in Australia than anywhere else in the world. (How many countries have lost their leader just 'cos he went for a swim?)
Never saw the show but the question may not be about the mans death, but how he lived so long! |
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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Originally posted by Tupperware:
Originally posted by brainslag:
At least he didn't get hit by a bus. Like that Jesus guy in the video ...
uhh... maybe not. |
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Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Interesting thing that both that Jesus guy and Irwin, had their deaths recorded on video tape. I wonder if they'll put Irwin's to music? |
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Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by MWoody:
Dave, You are soooo not getting a Christmas card from me this year... That's OK, but please do send one to Standingovation. he deserves to feel the love.
Dave |
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Location: Upper Left USA | OT but sue me:
I got Serge's (and the other guy) CD's over the weekend and gave them some air time whilst doing some house painting. One of them was the Natividad Xmas CD - at 80 degrees in September.
:cool: |
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Posts: 425
Location: SE Michigan | I also use to collect reptiles, and was bitten by a western diamond back rattle snake when i was 19. I spent several days in ICU, and the venom spread to the center of my chest before the anti-venom started working and reversing it. For about an hour, they had the priest there, the paddles charged up, and i could see (and feel) my heart missing beats. The only thing i could do was try and stay as calm as possible, and hope it started reversing in time. When i first got to the hospitol, my hand allready looked like i was wearing a boxing glove it was so swollen. They where not equiped for this type of snake bite, because the snake was not from the east coast. They had to use helecopters and ambulances to find the anti-venom in time, Forgive me for sounding like a concerned taxpayer, but I cant help but wonder, who picked up the tab for your little hobby mishap? |
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Location: Phoenix AZ | That's just completely irresponsible ... |
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Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | One more reason to move the Factory to western Washington:
No venemous snakes here. |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Yes, tax money can be spent on much more productive things ... I understand I'm paying the US senate, not to do anything about Iraq or to solve the immigration problem, no they are currently debating prohibiting the export of US horses for food. Now that's a productive group of people, adding much value to the US. I'd like to know, as a concerned tax payer, why I have to pay for them.
I got a movie title:Snakes in Congress. |
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Posts: 103
Location: Townsville, Australia | Originally posted by muzza:
You are certainly entitled to your oppinion, and i'm sure he made a ton of money. Who would'nt want to make a ton of money, and sure he seemed to like being the attraction, but the point is... He seemed very passionate about what he was doing, and had the best intentions for the animal.
I think you are being "way" harsh. Not at all, I could have been far harsher about what people thought of this guy when he was hale and hearty.
Bobc made another point that he relocated crocs to save them being killed; well this isn't true I was pointing out that crocs are relocated as rerquired by law.
As it is not true that he poured all his money into conservation as bobc stated; he might have with but he poured the majority into his production company and privately owned Zoo and some great big boats etc etc. He was no philanthropist.
I think people sometiimes get a bit to precious after a celeb dies and it is non-PC to say anything negative. Or debate his contribution.
And he was a dickhead in my opinion, and that of many others who come from the bush, top end (far noth of Aust), and outback.
And promoting conservation by teaching kids that it is okay to harass and agitate animals seems a bit weird, always did. |
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Location: Bluffton, SC | The subtitle being Turkeys in the White House?
Sorry. |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by Rick an4340:
I got a movie title:Snakes in Congress. "Based on a true story". |
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August 2006
Posts: 55
Location: Pennsylvania | Originally posted by Brian T:
I also use to collect reptiles, and was bitten by a western diamond back rattle snake when i was 19. I spent several days in ICU, and the venom spread to the center of my chest before the anti-venom started working and reversing it. For about an hour, they had the priest there, the paddles charged up, and i could see (and feel) my heart missing beats. The only thing i could do was try and stay as calm as possible, and hope it started reversing in time. When i first got to the hospitol, my hand allready looked like i was wearing a boxing glove it was so swollen. They where not equiped for this type of snake bite, because the snake was not from the east coast. They had to use helecopters and ambulances to find the anti-venom in time, Forgive me for sounding like a concerned taxpayer, but I cant help but wonder, who picked up the tab for your little hobby mishap?
Now you can use all that money you saved, and buy a new guitar... :D |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Snow ski..football...men's league hockey...
Not quite as exotic as petting diamond back rattlers, but still can cause quite a nasty injury.
Once when an insurance agent was getting information from me for a life insurance policy, he asked..."Do you take any illegal drugs?"
"Only when I sky-dive." I said.
I learned that insurance guys don't have much of a sense of humor. |
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December 2003
Posts: 1071
Location: Carle Place, NY | Irwin was a showman. The problem is that the crocs got played out and and he was looking for new stuff for entertainment on his TV show. So he went to working with animals that he did not have the proper experience with. He liked to live on the edge. With crocs he knew the limits. Apparently he didn't know the limits with this ray.
There's got to be more to the story than what we're getting on the news. I watched the interviews and everyone just said the same thing - it was a freak accident - without providing any real details. Remember this whole event was filmed, porobably with several cameras. I'll bet that if we ever get to see the video, it will be heavily edited so that Irwin comes off looking like a hero. I'm not saying he was a bad guy, it's just that he clearly went over the edge on this one. The only way we'll ever get the "true" story is if one of Irwin's crew has the opportunity to make some big money with an expose'. Even then it's unlikely that the public will ever know what really happened and why. |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | With all of the cute cartoon animals and TV shows the likes of "Gentle Ben", I think we can forget just how strong nature is.
Last week I was driving to work and saw this very nice golden lab on the side of the road. He was one happy, tail a-wagging, exited dog. When I got closer I saw that he was rubbing both sides of his face on, and rolling around in, a recently dead cat. |
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Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Probably working an undercover operation... |
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November 2005
Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Originally posted by Mitchrx:
The only way we'll ever get the "true" story is if one of Irwin's crew has the opportunity to make some big money with an expose'... **it happens. Why, when it happens to someone famous, do so many immediately assume there's a cover-up/conspiracy?
Oh right! The entertainment value! :rolleyes: No wonder News Anchors behave like song-and-dance men while the weatherman does standup comedy... |
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WTF OT ....CRIKEY!!!!
