I actually have more respect for Treadwell (just barely). He appeared to truly care about the plight of those bears and he wasn't looking to exploit them for the sake of TV ratings. He also shared much of his work with schools and spoke personally to kids about the bears. He was just as passionate about teaching people about them. He just didn't want to relegate them to performers like Irwin did with his animals. Regardless, the legacy that both of them have engendered may cause others to suffer the same fates.XRpredator said:Dude, Treadwell was a nutjob loonball and probably borderline sociopathic. Irwin, whether showboating or not (that's up for debate), was at least animated and (seemed to be) genuinely excited about sharing his knowledge about wild animals.
Yeah, when I heard he immediately pulled it out that was my thought, as well. The common response when something sticks you is to pull it out without thinking. Perhaps more formal training as a zoologist might have prevented such an involuntary reaction, but I doubt it.On a side note, the more I read about the incident, the more I wonder that if he'd maybe left the stinger in he'd still be with us. One of the first things we learn in first aid is when there's a puncture wound of some kind, leave the item in the body until it can be removed by a doctor.
Yeah, zoologists know all about emergency medicine.RADRick said:. . . Perhaps more formal training as a zoologist might have prevented such an involuntary reaction, but I doubt it.
Of course not. I meant that more familiarity with such animals might have made him less likely to react instinctively and given him the time to think about it before simply yanking the barb out on reflex. Maybe...maybe not.XRpredator said:Yeah, zoologists know all about emergency medicine.
RADRick said:Forgive me for being blunt or seemingly insensitive.
Since it went through his heart he probably would have lived another what.......15 seconds?MrLuckey said:I highly doubt that leaving a poisonous barb in longer would have been a better solution.
RADRick said:Forgive me for being blunt or seemingly insensitive. Those of us that were raised on Marlin Perkins and Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom know the difference between a naturalist and a showboating yahoo when we see one. Jim Fowler was a naturalist. Steve Irwin was an opportunist. With all the attention given today to people who push the envelope of common sense, safety, and respect for animals, Mr. Irwin is just another senseless example of our increasing arrogance. I can see him and Timothy Treadwell sitting on a cloud asking each other what the heck happened. Animals are unpredictable. Who'd a thunk it? Make no mistake, Irwin was an entertainer always looking for ways to improve his ratings and viewership. While he may have done a lot to bring animal concerns to the public, he probably did just as much harm by making it seem cool to be so reckless when near them. Irwin was not a researcher looking to study and understand wild creatures. He was a charlatan looking to make them and himself into TV stars and there's nothing noble in that. Alligators and crocodiles the world over are feeling cheated today.
Many people thought Mr. Haas in Florida was crazy for handling (and being bitten by) so many venomous snakes, but at least his sacrifices led to antidotes that help other snake bite victims. He's still alive, by the way. Irwin's departure leaves little more than a lot of people saying, "I told you so!" along with a hole in next year's TV schedule.
You don't think the Steve shared his work with schools and spoke to kids about about Crocs?He also shared much of his work with schools and spoke personally to kids about the bears. He was just as passionate about teaching people about them. He just didn't want to relegate them to performers like Irwin did with his animals.
A friend of mine worked in wildlife conservation here in the USA for about a decade. The unanimous opinion of him and his colleagues was definitely not favorable of Irwin or his TV show.
Let's see, your friend was probably making about minimum wage, Irwin was extremely popular. Pick anyone that is sucessful in their occupation and there will be MANY in the same field that will will trash them, typically those less succesful. Did your friend wear knee braces by chance? :pA friend of mine worked in wildlife conservation here in the USA for about a decade. The unanimous opinion of him and his colleagues was definitely not favorable of Irwin or his TV show.
That, my friend, is the only reason I continue to read any of your posts. You need to chill out man. :nod:RADRick said:...In fact, many watched simply to see when his luck would run out...
So uneducated people need not apply in such a safisticated working environment? I guess growing up and working your whole life in a Zoo is not as good as reading a book written by another person who watched animals through a Telescope :bang:Irwin was very knowledgeable, but he was not formally trained in zoology or anthropology nor was he an animal researcher
But make no mistake, whatever altruistic intentions Irwin started with, the producers that made him a star were focused squarely on the bottom line.
In fact, many watched simply to see when his luck would run out. To say differently is to ignore that reality
RADRick said:So don't sit there lamenting the loss of Steve Irwin
Okiewan said:Let's see, your friend was probably making about minimum wage....
RADRick said:Steve Irwin was an opportunist. With all the attention given today to people who push the envelope of common sense, safety, and respect for animals, Mr. Irwin is just another senseless example of our increasing arrogance.
Irwin was not a researcher looking to study and understand wild creatures. He was a charlatan looking to make them and himself into TV stars and there's nothing noble in that. Alligators and crocodiles the world over are feeling cheated today.
.
Would you have that same attitude about a doctor or a dentist? How about a lawyer? I'm guessing there are some vocations where you'd insist on seeing a degree first before allowing them to serve you. There's a reason why veterinarians go through as much if not more training as a doctor that practices on humans. A trained zoologist never loses sight of the fact that animals are unpredictable. Once you start thinking you know what they'll do and allow yourself to be in situations where you think you have control, you stop being a professional regardless of how much you may know about them.bsmith said:So uneducated people need not apply in such a safisticated working environment? I guess growing up and working your whole life in a Zoo is not as good as reading a book written by another person who watched animals through a Telescope :bang:
Give me a person with hands on real world experience over a book smart person any day! I had profesors profesing their knowledge who never worked in the field! That statement is complete horse ****!
I'm not agreeing that he got more attention for that lapse of judgment, but if he did it was perhaps because as a naturalist with so much understanding of wild animals he should have known better than to subject an infant to such risk. At least Jacko and Britney can claim ignorance as to their parenting skills. Irwin actually had the arrogance to defend his actions saying he knew the child was in no danger. If Irwin had to retreat suddenly because of an aggressive move by the gator and he stumbled over his feet and fell, what then? Many animals seeing their prey in a weak positin will attack. At the least, the child could have been injured in the fall. Irwin should have had enough sense to at least not allow filming of such stupidity knowing it could cause such an uproar. That he didn't speaks volumes about his lack of good judgment.OK, I'm a veiwer and this thought never once entered my mine. This show brought the family together! I will agree I though it was out of line to have his newborn in the pen, yet he got more attention then Micheal Jackson hanging his out a window or Britney driving down the road with an infant in her lap! As the saying goes, it's lonely on the top, and everyone is trying to bring you down.
Well, there's something we can both agree on. :laugh:As a parent I can only hope my kids use Steve and Terri Irwin as their role models instead of a Paris Hilton or any Drug addictive profesional Athletes!
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