Steve Irwin dies- australia mourns

[melanie]

wow, were all in shock. if you have not heard steve died yesterday after a sting ray attack, he was filming a doco when the extrememly rare attack occured, one in a million chance. the ray is known as a black bull, a wing span of up to and often beyond 4-5 mtrs. steve was conducting normal procedure dutring the taping, this procedure offilming the rays is well known by those in the industry and considered fine, he was NOT attempting to touch or harass the animal. they are saying it was the presence of both steve and the camera man that set the ray off, usually they spirit away in a flush of sand when scared, rarely do they attack, but having them both so near it felt trapped and attacked. only 2 others have died this way in our recoerded history of aus waters.

thsi is one of the sadest days for my beloved nation, we have lost a true character, larriken, beautiful father and amazing wildlife defender. he has raised the profile of the crioc so much here they are no longer treated as vicious kilers to be slaughtered, they are now recognised as part of our eco system thanks to the efforts of steve.

for all his antics, and varying public opinions of him, he was a true blessing for the animals of this nation and the world. if you would like to support steves continuing work, donations can be made to his worldwide animal conservation program, called