Crocodile Hunter Killed By Stingray
Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin was killed today, as reported by the Associated Press (CAIRNS, Australia, 09/04/06). He was filming a segment on the "Ocean’s Deadliest," and a stingray’s poisonous barb pierced his chest, then his heart.
Watching The Crocodile Hunter in action, I never felt comfortable with what he was doing. For me, his show glorified the violent treatment of the wildlife, and Mr. Irwin clearly had a blast while wrestling, tackling, and dragging crocodiles around Australia. My experience as a viewer was that the terms "wildlife rehabilitation" and "conservation" were thin veiling for "entertainment" and "sport," with a colossal dose of machismo. It was only a matter of time before his behavior would prove fatal.
His biography on the The Discovery Channel site states that his father and he "were proud to say that over 100 crocodiles living at Australia Zoo were either caught by them or bred and raised in the zoo." The bio goes on to state that the zoo "earned Australia’s most prestigious tourism award: ‘Major Tourist Attraction’ for 2003.’" And not coincidentally, I’d wager, Mr. Irwin was awarded "2004 Queensland Australian of the Year."
The Gray Matter initially is: Are nonhuman animals ours to kidnap, hold captive, and lug around the talk-show circuit, even for what we call "education?" The Gray Matter decreases, though, when you reach the bottom line: zoos can be a significant part of an area’s economy (ditto for the business of trading exotic animals). The "education" argument quickly falls away, and you’re left with "tourism" and "profit" as the reasons to keep animals from their families and homes. And when you add "television shows" with commercial dollars to the mix, there’s nothing left of the Gray Matter.
Again, it’s not sexy, and it doesn’t make a great headline or sound bite, but, unless you’re going to save someone’s life and then return them to their home, and you’re certain they need you to intervene, leave wildlife alone. Not just for their safety, but for your own.
