DIVE HAPPY

World famous Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin has been tragically killed by the barb of a stingray whilst filming an underwater documentary on Australia's Great Barrier Reef

It seems almost a bad taste joke at first - the news that Steve Irwin, famous for his exploits with crocodiles, had been killed by the barb of a stingray has been everywhere on the Internet today. The 44 year old nature enthusiast, made famous by his love of crocodiles but also his love of all creatures on land and underwater, was stabbed in the heart by the barb on a stingray tail.

The Guardian's report notes:

It is only the third recorded fatal stingray attack in Australia. Normally the fish, which can weigh up to two tonnes, swims away from divers, but if provoked will automatically strike with its barbed tail. Usually victims are stung on the arm or leg, leaving a wound that while painful, can usually be treated.

Dr Meredith Peach, a marine biologist, said it was unusual for stingrays to attack a diver, unless they handled or accidentally stepped on the fish.

Irwin was filming a TV documentary called Oceans' Deadliest at Batt Reef, near Port Douglas on the Great Barrier Reef, just along the coast from Cairns.

It's a terrible loss for Irwin's family and also a sad loss for the conservation movement in general. Irwin's own brand of enthusiasm made him famous but also made the wilds of Australia famous too, and showed people how amazing nature can be. That he should be killed by such an otherwise passive creature is a very cruel irony. Let's hope it doesn't cause any sort of anti-stingray campaign - it's the last thing Steve Irwin would have wanted.