I don't believe he just did that!

[Wuntu Menny]

Ok, I"m watching CNN and they just showed a clip of Steve Irwin doing something I can only classify as incredibly irresponsible. Stevo just pulled a Jacko and brought his 1 month old son into the enclosure to feed a croc! Baby in one arm and chunk of meat in the other, he walked up to the croc and fed it by hand.

Now Steve's done some silly things before and we all either love to hate him or hate to love him, depending on which side of the fence we sit, but what could he be thinking? As confident as he may be with his knowledge of behaviour, I can't help but recall a certain incident with a lawnmower where Stevo nearly became lunch. It only takes that split second...

Mortified,

WM

[Solid Snake]

i love his show cuz he makes it exciting... if you're gonna complain i suggest u give him a call...

[sapphire_moon]

I used to watch that show. Until I came on here and realized how irresponsible he really is.

Sure the prospect of someone getting injured usually makes a show more interesting. Why do you think alot of people like to watch wrestling and race cars?

But DON'T bring a BABY into it!!!!!

[Neo]

it's highly irresponsible of him but in his eyes he just wants to continue a tradition that his father held and i dunno bout his grandfather. steve was trained as a child and he's probably just doing the same for his son. and if the croc ignored the chicken steve would prob be bit and saftey ppl run to get the baby and leave steve to fend for himself cause he can.

[Lisa]

Steves just mindless entertainment. think of it this way. if steves kid gets chomped he's not going to grow up to do the things steve does.

[Dozer]

I have no complaints about Steve. He does what he does. He brings excitment to the more boring and less appreciated animals of society. And he does warn not to his the things he does. Barefoot Bushman is another great guy. If those guys didn't know their animals well, they wouldn't be alive at this point.

I know, sometimes they over do it.

Mike

[Retic chic]

My cousin lives and works in Australia now, and has been to Australia Zoo to see Steve Irwin in action. He says it is like the WWF, seems everything is staged and elaborated. Actually, he said it was more like Stampede Wrestling, remember Stampede Wrestling???

[Wuntu Menny]

I agree with most of you with respect to the sensationalist approach, I just don't feel that it does any of us any good to be associated with that. We're already fighting an uphill battle to salvage a shred of respect from the nonherping public. Stunts like this only seem to reinforce the arguments against keeping herps at all.

Yes, there are always the "Don't Try This At Home" disclaimers, but we all know how effective those are. If you don't want someone to attempt to duplicate it, don't show them how in the first place. As far as maintaining family traditions, the same could be said with regard to rattlesnake roundups, fox hunts, or for that matter, any other "Whacking Day" ceremony. There are plenty of traditional pastimes that we should have outgrown by now.

Dozer: Is the barefoot bushman you refer to Rob Bredl? If it is, I'd have to agree with you. He's one of the few I enjoy watching. His approach seems more educational and less traumatic to all involved. He does play up the danger aspect a little, but I find the end product far more entertaining and informative.

WM

[Invictus]

Wuntu and Retic Chic - Do either of you remember Monty's Travelling Reptile Show? (I'm not sure if it got played in Saskatchewan, or if you even lived there at that time, Sheila, but you remember Stampede Wrestling, so you must remember Monty, hehehe)

Now THERE was a responsible, educational, absolutely non-sensationalist show. I remember when I was a kid, he did a show at the Calgary Stampede, and he brought out this 18 foot burmese python and got a bunch of kids to hold it... well, I got the head. And what the big burm do?

*Yaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwn*

All of a sudden, there was this foul smell coming from my side of the burm.... LOL

I was addicted from that moment forward. I think I was somewhere around 8 or 9 years old at that time.

[Wuntu Menny]

I remember Monty very well. I'm sure he was responsible for getting more of us into herps than we would like to admit. A lot more could be achieved back then without resorting to the Hollywood herping we see now. I suppose that can be chalked up to the cliche of those being simpler times.

That being said, I shudder to think of the lengths they'll go to 20 years from now when these times are being fondly recalled as the simpler ones.

WM

[JeffT]

I can remember Monty's when I was about 6 or 7 years old, dont know wether or not it got me into herps but I sure remember learning quite a lot watching it.

[Jayson]

I think that steve taking kids into croc inclosures in very irresponsable, But for the most part i like watching his shows. Mostly because you get to see some amazing animals.

IMO the herp world owes alot to steve, Like him or hate him you can not deny that he has done alot of good for this hobby. Of course he has also done some bad as well, But nobody is perfect.

[Retic chic]

[i]
IMO the herp world owes alot to steve, Like him or hate him you can not deny that he has done alot of good for this hobby. Of course he has also done some bad as well, But nobody is perfect. [/B]

I agree that Steve Irwin has done a lot for the enthusiasm for the hobby, but maybe not as much for the responsible education that good ol' Monty had.

[Ian]

well here ya go it's already making news
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3859536/

[Bartman]

ok, holding the baby was wrong..but did anyone see the video just posted on how he jiggled the kid around? I dont think he realizes its a baby!! I love him and his show, but that was just stupppppid!