In Remembrance of Steve Irwin

On Monday, September 4th, snakes, crocodiles and animal lovers around the world mourned the loss of one of Australia’s leading animal entertainers and conservationists, Steve Irwin. The Animal Planet’s Crocodile Hunter website has been inundated with comments and condolences to the Irwin family. Colleagues, cameramen and Discovery Communications have individualized their stories on the “In Remembrance of Steve” page.

It’s an unbelievably sad story, as I’m sure the majority of you are already aware. News sites are headlining the shock of Steve’s death. Internally, the IFAW HQ team was notified by our Australian country director Mick McIntyre. Here is a clip from his internal email:

“Most of the public know him as a famous TV personality but he was a committed conservationist as well. His organization, ‘Wildlife Warriors’, is a good example of this. http://www.wildlifewarriors.org.au/

A sad day for conservation.”

When I personally heard the news last night, I didn’t believe it.  To just pass away so quickly, it was hard to grasp the reality. Steve was ‘in the moment’, doing what he loved best. He will surely be remembered for putting the human audience in places we could never venture ourselves.

IFAW sends condolences to Steve’s family, Terri, Bindi and Bob.

Comments

[Leigh-Ann]

What saddened me so much about Steve Irwin's death was the loss of someone who was making such a HUGE difference in the world of animal conservation. I know we can all make small differences, and that adds up to a lot, but it must have been so satisfying for him to know that if he wanted to, say, preserve a few thousands acres of land for crocodiles, he could just buy the land! I also really admired the work he did with children, and how he was able to inspire them to love and respect wildlife. He just seemed like a person with a really good heart.

[chante' watkins]

We need more people like him to help with the animals, domesticated and wild with financial,humane,inspiration. Animals make this world a wonderful place, can you imagine what it would be like without them? I play the lottery for one reason alone, so I can go on the same crusade as he did to protect these wonderful creatures and make a difference. Man is not the only creature that matters in this world and he needs to realize that and rise above it.I believe all animals have a soul and not all humans do,and we have proven that point. If there are no animals in Heaven, I dont think it is the place I would want to be, same goes for being here on Earth also.

[Jennifer Miller]

Thanks for your post Chante', did you have a chance to watch the latest Steve Irwin documentry on Discovery? It's the material that was filmed on the day that he died. I haven't had a chance to see it yet, just wanting to get some feedback.