Ode to Steve Irwin

One of the definitions of obituary you'll find on the web is
"A final summation of our lives that, for most of us, occupies about three inches of space in what will shortly become cage liner for your neighbor's parakeet."

How true! But this is not an obituary. It's just a means to recall Steve.

Steve Irwin, the conservationist, died almost 2 weeks ago. It was an accident. As news channels all over the world flashed the news of his demise, I couldn't help but notice the irony of Steve being killed by a stingray. A brave man, that he was, it was most unlikely that he would be killed by a creature that feeds on molluscs and small fish.

As my mom used to say, "This guy is just crazy; he'll be killed by a crocodile someday!"
Speaking about that, I never quite understood why his show was called "The Croc hunter", when he never used to hunt them per se.

Snakes and crocodiles were supposedly his favorites. His typical Australian accent, his khaki shorts sans any protective gear would instantly connect him with people across the globe. His mesmerizing performance of all those stunts - chasing snakes and alligators, would leave his audiences gasping for breath.

I feel that he was really lucky to have died doing something he really loved to do!
I mean how many of us die like that - you know the pride with which a soldier dies for his motherland. His family would be proud of him.

We miss you Steve! Atleast we have Animal Planet and Discovery to see you...


Revenge on stingrays
It's sad to hear that Steve's fans went on a killing spree to avenge his death.
For a man who dedicated his life educating people about wild life, it would definitely be bad news.

Let us all leave those poor stingrays alone. Whatever happened was unfortunate, but killing those poor creatures won't bring Steve back to life.

Let us respect Steve by truly conserving.