What Are the Odds
I'm sure you've all heard by now that Steve Irwin, the famous Australian Crocodile Hunter, was stabbed in the chest by a stingray and killed today.
I never cared for his style. I thought he was needlessly reckless with very dangerous animals. Hey, it's the mother and ER nurse in me.
But, really, I wish someone would do the math and tell me what the odds are. I mean, stingrays swim off the New Jersey coast every summer. Yes, we were taught to be afraid of them because their sting is really painful. But they do not "attack." Like most wild creatures, they prefer to just be left alone or to seek out what they'd like to investigate but have no drive to harm humans.
Even if Irwin got too close, have you got any idea how unlikely it is that the stingray's barb would not only strike him but to penetrate the ribcage and pierce his heart? Astronomical.
I'm sorry he's gone. If I recall correctly, he's got a young daughter. I know kids loved him and I'm all for kids becoming excited about wildlife and conservation.
Damn shame. You can read more about Irwin from ABC, the San Jose Mercury News and The International Herald Tribune.
tags: culture / death / life / television
posted by Cheryl @ 2:00 PM
8 Comments:
(((Cher))) Thank you for your lovely comments on Steve Irwin. He had 2 kids. Bindi his daughter is 8 and their son Bob is 2. My heart breaks for his kids, and for Terri whom he adored.
It's a tragic fucked up way to go. We all expected him to be killed by a croc when he was 80 or 90. He was a good man who did a hell of a lot for Australian wildlife and for Australia.
Australia mourns as a whole today. Our favourite "larrikin" is gone.
CROCS RULE
RIP Steve.
Love Yvonne
Oh and apparently it's something like a 5% chance of being stung and killed by a sting ray. He swam over it without seeing it, startled it and it defended itself.
Damn shame. I'm so sorry about the loss to his family, Australia and the world.
Yep. RIP.
xoVonox
Oh...and re: the odds of this, I meant the odds of a barb getting through his chest and directly piercing the heart. That's got to be hugely unlikely.
And 5% for deaths from stingrays seems very high, though maybe that's with Aussie stingrays who, I'm sure, are far more kick-ass than their American cousins.
Just like you, Von! ; )
I enjoyed his show and, too, am sorry he's gone. However, given four US deaths and about 40 Iraqis dead yesterday, I'm not at all certain that Irwin should have been the lead on the network news.
I dunno that Irwin would really get the regular odds.
I hated to see him go out like that as well. Also, I felt bad when I thought of his children and family.
RfR: Are you really surprised? They should just go ahead and change the name of the evening news to Inside America,.
Veronica: And I think if he had a choice, he would rather have gone out just as weirdly as he did.
Stephen: Yes, it's a shame...so young, two young children and so beloved of the Aussie people.
Crikey!
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