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Death of a Hero
Monday morning I learned that one of my personal heroes had passed away in a freak accident. Steve Irwin, better known as the crocodile Hunter, was killed in a pedestrian dive off the Queensland coast by a small ray that unexpectedly struck him directly in the heart. I've only heard rumors, as I don't wish to watch the video footage of his death, that he was pulling the barb from his chest when he lost consciousness and slipped into cardiac arrest. If this is true, it only heightens the awe I have of this courageous individual.

But Steve Irwin, for me, exceeded his bravado with his compassion, intelligence, and his unique attunement with nature. He risked life and limb to bring the viewer into nature, rather than preach at you from a comfortable pulpit like his detractors, and you know who you are. Steve Irwin was a champion of animal husbandry. While his body was covered with the scars of encounters gone wrong, one only needed to see this six foot powerhouse of endurance fall to one knee and weep like a child at the death of one his crocs to understand what these animals meant to him. He pioneered the most humane ways to trap animals so they could be returned to the wild having suffered the least amount of anguish possible. Even when bitten, or scratched, or poisoned he never expressed one ounce of ill will toward the animal, always jokingly chastising it as bad girl or boy. Most of us curse volumes if we are stung by a bee.

Steve Irwin not only put his body on the line, but put his money were his mouth was also. Steve purchased large tracks of land in Australia, Fiji, and the United States to use as wildlife preserves. He epitomized what it means to practice what you preach, and he reached millions with his very resonating message of wildlife conservation. In short, Steve Irwin did more in his thirty minute show than all the naked, paint lobbing, Peta bimbos have ever done to change public opinion, and that’s why they hated him. As much as I would like to express my disdain for some of the worthless organizations who impugned Steve’s work because he didn’t properly kiss their oh so sophisticated feet, I will refrain, because this post is for me to eulogize his passing. For as much as I was entertained by Steve Irwin, I was also educated by him, and for that I am grateful. I was also insanely jealous of the opportunities he had to be so close to these creatures, though for him it was the richly deserved reward of a life of hard work, dedication, and service to them. I hope when all this passes, and the world is made new again, I can enjoy a taste of what Steve Irwin enjoyed. That would be heaven. My thoughts and prayers go out to Steve’s lovely wife Terri, and their two beautiful children. We’ll all miss him greatly.