Crikey! 'Crocodile Hunter' dangles baby during show

[tribsaint]

Because someone had to one-up Jacko.

Taken from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3859536/ :

Irwin carries 1-month-old son while feeding croc
The Associated Press
Updated: 4:49 p.m. ET Jan. 02, 2004BRISBANE, Australia - Crocodile hunter Steve Irwin took his month-old son to his first croc feeding on Friday, offering the reptile a chicken with one hand and holding the baby in the other.

With a capacity crowd looking on, Irwin dangled a dead chicken before the 13-foot crocodile named Murray, which snapped up the offering. Irwin’s tiny son Bob looked on from his other arm.

“He’s one-month-old, so it’s about time Bob got out there and did his first croc demo,” the Australian celebrity told the crowd at his Australian Zoo.

Irwin’s wife Terri, who gave birth to her second child on Dec. 1, also attended the show, billed as Bob’s “croc feeding debut.”

Irwin’s show, “The Crocodile Hunter,” served as the basis for the movie “The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course,” which came out in 2002.

Personally, I think that man is going to get him or someone in his family killed.

"Crikey! It's the most poisonous spider in Australia! Let's just give 'er a big kiss, shall we? Ain't she a beaut'!"

I am always so scared for his poor dog each time he brings the pup to see the crocodiles...I think he's using the pooch for bait. :(

[grinner]

From what some other Croc people have been saying... that Croc is extremely well fed... so it wouldn't attack as... suddenly as a hungry one. However... I wouldn't have done that.

[Harveylives]

Crykie, what a frelling idiot.

[JrMissToughChick]

He is pretty fahrbot isn't he?

~JrMTC~

[Harveylives]

I think someone should post a poll, "Who would you trust your child with Michael Jackson or Steve Irwin".

[tribsaint]

Can "a crocodile" be one of the choices?

[Frellster]

He didn't dangle the baby; he held the baby and dangled the chicken. I don't think the kid was in much danger.

Now, if he dangled a baby in front of Micheal Jackson - that would be one thing.

[Shipscat]

OOhh, frellster. Yuck.

I don't think the baby was in much danger either but it was still abysmally stupid. It just looks horrible. It might qualify for a Darwin Award.

[BrowderChick]

What the frell was he thinking?

[Mordoch]

Originally posted by Shipscat
OOhh, frellster. Yuck.

I don't think the baby was in much danger either but it was still abysmally stupid. It just looks horrible. It might qualify for a Darwin Award.
Nope, it only would qualify if Steve Irwin manages to get himself killed.

[BrowderChick]

Just his voice makes me want to sometimes push him in....

[Shipscat]

If he got his kid eaten, wouldn't that count? I guess it would count for one of those stupid celebrity countdowns.

[Scarran Raptor]

that man is a darwin award waiting to happen

[BrowderChick]

He has already been mentioned in the Wannabe's list.....


:gator:

[divinedaydreams]

If you watch the video you see him putting the baby alnost into the croc pond. That's dangerous being that crocs are so territorial. I watched a show the other day where he had his daughter in the boat with him and Teri, at night looking for crocs. Frannly I think its plain irresponsible.

[Judith]

Originally posted by divinedaydreams
Frannly I think its plain irresponsible.

More than that. I think he and his wife should lose custody of that child...they are not fit parents.

[divinedaydreams]

They have two kids. A girl named Bindi and the baby boy Bob. I some what agree but think education should be first step verses removal of children.

[JadedLegend3]

I agree with Frellster. The kid wasn't in that much danger. He obviously trusts crocs, so why not take his kid with him? It's like someone else putting there kid next to a pet they trust. Yes, I understand there is a difference between a croc and a pet, but Irwin raises crocs as pets, works with them all the time, so they've become a bit domesticated, too.

The only stupid thing about this act was that some idiot who knows nothing about crocs (probably here in the US) is going to try it and get their kid eaten. And if that happens, it serves them right.

Jacqui :love:

[generic_screenname]

I'm in the Frellster/JadedLegend3 camp here. The kid wasn't in danger.

I should mention that although Steve Irwin works very closely with crocodiles, he doesn't keep them as "pets." Suey the dog is a pet.

[Madre Farbot]

Originally posted by generic_screenname
I'm in the Frellster/JadedLegend3 camp here.

Quick! Throw away the keys. Nah, only joking. I think the guy, though professional as he may be he obviously didn't think this one through in the sense that it would make him look stupid, irresponsible and unprofessionally stupid.

[Clarsax]

I don't think his kid was in that much danger. Steve Irwin may have done a lot of risky things but at the same time, he's been working with crocodiles since he was a little kid and probably knows more about them than most people. Plus these were crocodiles at his zoo; not domesticated but still there long enough that he would have time to get to know thier personalities and what kind of danger each individual animal could pose. It could be that all those years and experience have made him less cautious than anyone else would be, but then all that experience and not so much as one lost finger also means he he must at least know what he's doing around the crocodiles.

[MrVesham]

The only travesty here is what's going to be done to his professional and parental image. He's of a definite minority on the planet that would know enough about crocs in general and especially that single croc to grasp the danger present or lack of. Clarsax has a perfect point - he's still got all tens and usually gets worse injuries from tiny snakes and lizards - he knows what he's doing around crocs.

Screaming "BAd ParENTz! T4ke the kid away nowz3rz!!!11!" is just a horrible overreaction to this. Now, if this were Bob Smith, The American Zoo-Goer with his kid on the end of a fishing line to retrieve his lost keys from the gator pit - that would warrant some legal action. =P

[vikingscaper]

When I saw this on the news last night, I thought he was crazy for what he did but then I realized that he works around crocodiles and he knows how to deal with them.

[db11]

I don't see what the big deal is. He obviously thought it was safe for his kid to be in that situation, and who am I to argue with him? The guy is an expert in his field. He's been working with crocodiles his entire life. He knows their behavior well and, since this is one from his zoo, he may have been around this particular one his entire life. If anyone knows whether or not that situation is dangerous, its him. I think its a case of everyone is getting their shorts in a wad over something they really know nothing about.

[Anni]

I think he knows what he's doin, he wouldn't jepordize his family....but U can rest assured that that's how HE'LL die!

[divinedaydreams]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=8&u=/ap/20040103/ap_on_en_tv/australia_crocodile_hunter

This is on Yahoo so it may not be there long. It was through the AP but I couldn't find the link to it there.

Basically no charges are being pressed and Steve has said he won't be doing something like that again. Its a good read and puts some things into perspective.

[grinner]

No Charges in Crocodile-Infant Stunt

By JAMIE TARABAY, Associated Press Writer

SYDNEY, Australia - "Crocodile hunter" Steve Irwin has survived tussles with giant pythons, poisonous snakes and, of course, crocodiles. Now he faces accusations that he went too far and endangered his infant son.

Irwin drew fire from child welfare groups, but the acting premier of Queensland state, Terry Mackenroth, said no charges would be filed for a stunt in which Irwin fed a crocodile with one hand while cradling his month-old son, Robert, in the other on Friday in front of an audience.

"There won't be any charges brought against him; the department of children's services have done what they needed to do, to contact the family and to talk to them about it," Mackenroth said.

"They've (the Irwin family) assured them that it won't happen again and I am sure that if it does they will be back in touch with them," he said.

The incident at Irwin's popular reptile park in Beerwah, north of Brisbane, was captured on Australian television, and viewers later jammed phone lines to express their outrage.

"I think he's a bloody idiot, he's addicted to the attention," crocodile farm owner Keith Cook told The Courier-Mail newspaper.

At a news conference Saturday, Irwin said he probably would have done things differently with his son.

"If I could have my time again I would probably do things a little differently," he said. "But I would be considered a bad parent if I did not teach my children crocodile savvy because they live here. They live in crocodile territory ... so they have to be croc savvy."

He also claimed the danger posed by the crocodile was exaggerated.

"It's all about perceived danger; I was in complete control," said Irwin, flanked by his father, his wife and his 5-year-old daughter, Bindi. "People say, 'Well, what if you had fallen?' But for that to take place a meteorite would have had to come out of the sky and hit Australia at 6.6 on the Richter scale like in Iran."

Irwin has gained worldwide fame for his "Crocodile Hunter" show on the Animal Planet network, in which he chats excitedly about exotic and dangerous creatures — sometimes from extremely close proximity to the beasts. Animal Planet's Web site features several "Close Call Clips" that show Irwin getting bitten or merrily escaping the jaws of hungry reptiles.

Friday's footage on Australian TV showed Irwin feeding a dead chicken to a 13-foot crocodile named Murray while he held Bob in the other hand. Murray snapped up the meat.

"Good boy, Bob," Irwin said, according to the tabloid Herald Sun. He then balanced the boy on the ground after the crocodile had retreated to the water.

Irwin's American wife, Terri, had handed the baby over to Irwin in the enclosure and giggled at the spectacle.

"It was a wonderful sensory experience for him (the baby). He dug it," she said.

In response to media criticism, Terri likened her children's experience with crocodiles to teaching youngsters to swim.

"I watched children learning to swim at a very young age; they cry, they scream and they have nightmares about the water. Would you rather have a child learning to swim under duress or drowning peacefully in the pond in the backyard? I think teaching children about croc safety is extremely important."



The stunt drew comparisons to singer Michael Jackson (news) handling of his infant son in Berlin in November 2002. A national newspaper, The Australian, called it "a bizarre act at his Sunshine Coast zoo that mirrored Michael Jackson's dangling of his newborn over a balcony."

Queensland state's workplace safety authority was investigating if Irwin violated safety laws, which bar unauthorized people from entering a crocodile enclosure that is part of a public display. Police officers went to the zoo to tell Irwin that people objected to the incident, but no charges were brought.

Animal Planet released a statement on its Web site criticizing the stunt.

"Based on the footage we have seen, we believe a mistake was made," the statement said. "That said, we know from the many years we have worked with Steve, that his family is the most important thing in his life and he takes his role as a father very seriously."

Irwin has never been shy about putting himself — and occasionally his family — in what appear to be precarious situations. In its report, Channel 7 showed footage of Bindi swimming with a giant python, while Terri frequently joins him on his television jaunts.

"Bindi is very croc-savvy and we live in crocodile territory so they (the children) have to be croc-savvy," Irwin told reporters.

Child support and family groups said Irwin should never have exposed his son to such peril.

"Most parents would cringe at the sight of such things," Bill Muehlenberg of the Australian Family Association told the Herald Sun. "One slip, one fall and he is the crocodile's lunch."

Queensland's Families Minister Judy Spence was seeking unedited tapes of the incident.

"I have seen the television footage and while I have no doubt the Irwins love their children very much, I believe it was an error of judgment to place a baby in a potentially dangerous situation," Spence said.

[BrowderChick]

I just think they are insane. I would rather watch Jeff....

[Judith]

Originally posted by db11
I don't see what the big deal is. He obviously thought it was safe for his kid to be in that situation, and who am I to argue with him? The guy is an expert in his field. He's been working with crocodiles his entire life. He knows their behavior well and, since this is one from his zoo, he may have been around this particular one his entire life. If anyone knows whether or not that situation is dangerous, its him. I think its a case of everyone is getting their shorts in a wad over something they really know nothing about.

Unfortuately, one can be an expert without exercising good judgement. Raising a child safely requires that one use good judgement, or at least attempt to use good judgement. This guy did neither. Yes, he knows how crocodiles behave. That doesn't mean that he can predict everything each individual crocodile will do. A wild animal is a wild animal is a wild animal. In this case, he dangled a child barely old enough to have any defensive reflexes, in front of a predatory, territorial, wild animal. In this case, he did it while feeding the crocodile a meal roughly the same size and hue of his own child.

How is that not child endangerment?

[JadedLegend3]

Okay, I am going to have to majorly disagree with you on this. I've watched this video on about 4 different news stations, and I still believe that in no point was the child in any danger whatsoever. While feeding the croc a *very* small peice of meat, Irwin turned his body so that the baby was kinda behind him. Then, after the croc was already walking away, Iriwn walked the baby on the ground in the opposite direction, along the side of the pool, but a great deal away from it.

It's all perspective, that is hard to be seen on tv. It's like that kid from Cuba (I think) who was in Florida a few years back the govt seized and everyone said the soldier had the gun in the kid's face. Like hell he did, the angle of that image sure made it look like that, but if you look close at it, there is no way that gun was pointed at the kid.

I stand by my previous beliefs that this child was in no danger, and that Irwin knows what he's doing. I will also saythat people put their babies on or near horses, which, as much as we would like to believe, are not truly domesticated. Not as much as that croc is, anyway. There is more danger in putting a child on/near something that has fear for mankind rooted in it's brain (as any animal who has been hunted for meat or just hunted surely does), than putting it 10 feet away from an animal who has no fear of humans. An animal (or person even) who is afraid, will strike out. It will kick, it will bite, it will do whatever it needs to do. An animal who is not afraid and is healthy, has just been fed, and is walking *away* from the people, has no reason to attack.

Who are any of us to judge this man? He is a father raising a child. Any parent can make a mistake, and most do, it's part of learning. His only mistake, as far as I'm concerned, was in doing this on television.

One might also take into account the lifestyles and the laid-back nature of Australians. I have a very dear friend in Oz, who thinks there was nothing wrong with this act, who thinks there was no danger. He is the most liaid-back person I have ever met, and he is also a bit of a risk-taker, as I have gathered most Australians are. It's a cultural thing. I am in no way saying that putting a baby near a large reptile is a cultural thing for Australians, I'm just saying that risk, and a laid-back attitude are a part of their culture. And I think that is a great thing. You know what else they know how to do well? Mind their own business. I believe that what Irwin did with his child is none of my business, as it did not affect me in anyway. Perhaps, if I had been in that audience, my belief would be different. They are the only people who really have any right to judge this man, as seeing a child eaten by a croc would have been quite more than what they paid to see. I wonder if there are any comments out there from those who were actually there, and actually saw what really happened.

I've said all I can say. There is no point, as far as I'm concerned to keep this debate up. Neither group of people (those who think he was wrong or those who think there was no problem) are going to change their minds on the subject. A healthy debate is good, when there is a chance of changing someone's mind. If not, I see it as pointless. I will henceforth try to refrain from posting in this thread.



Jacqui :love:

[db11]

Originally posted by Judith_Shakespeare
Unfortuately, one can be an expert without exercising good judgement. Raising a child safely requires that one use good judgement, or at least attempt to use good judgement. This guy did neither. Yes, he knows how crocodiles behave. That doesn't mean that he can predict everything each individual crocodile will do. A wild animal is a wild animal is a wild animal. In this case, he dangled a child barely old enough to have any defensive reflexes, in front of a predatory, territorial, wild animal. In this case, he did it while feeding the crocodile a meal roughly the same size and hue of his own child.

How is that not child endangerment?

But its only your perception that what he did is dangerous. What qualifies any of us to know whether it actually was? Quite simply, we aren't qualified to make that judgement against him. He may not be able to predict with 100% certainty that animal's behavior, but I can guarantee you that he knows exactly what its capabilities are if it does decide to go after him. How far is its strike radius? After it strikes, how long does it take for it to 'reload' before it can attack again? How fast can it move? Can you answer those questions? I can't, but I can guarantee you he can and because of that, I will give him the benefit of the doubt. Its entirely possible that he's positioned himself and his kid in such a way that they were indeed in practically no danger.

[divinedaydreams]

Here is one with more on what Steve has to say.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,8325426%255E2902,00.html

Steve Irwin: I'll do same again
Catherine Hockley
06jan04

A DEFIANT Steve Irwin last night vowed to take his one-month-old son back into a crocodile enclosure. The Crocodile Hunter was near tears as he gave a passionate defence of his croc-feeding stunt in the face of worldwide condemnation.
Gaffe costly

He said he was reeling with pain over criticism from around Australia and the world, after feeding a four-metre reptile while holding son Bob at his Sunshine Coast zoo last Friday.
But asked if he would take Bob into the crocodile enclosure again, he replied: "I guess so".

"What I would do differently is I would make sure that there was no cameras around," he told A Current Affair.

"I will continue to educate my children and the children of the world so they don't go into the water with crocs."

Irwin said his father took him into a crocodile pen when he was a baby, and it was important to teach his children about their surroundings.

"We live in the middle of Australia Zoo," he said. "When I was a very small boy, my dad did the same for me.

"In fact, when I was nine years old, he let me jump, restrain and capture my first crocodile."

Irwin said he had taken daughter Bindi into a crocodile enclosure when she was a baby.

"It's the same as if people live on a busy road – if you don't make your children savvy about busy roads, they'll get run over," he said.

"I would be considered a bad parent if I didn't share my surroundings with my children.

"The unfortunate thing is, the big mistake I made was I thought people would understand that where I live is a very different place to anyone else.

"What I do – it's just not normal, mate."

Clearly distressed, Irwin said his family was supporting him through the crisis.

"You know what, take everything away from me . . . take the lot, take my zoo, take my life, take the crocodile, I don't care," he said.

"The most important thing I've got in my life is my kids and that's it."

"I'm proud of what I do and the thing that has hurt me the most is that people would perceive what I do as dangerous," Irwin said.

"I am sincerely sorry that people have seen what I did as endangering my son."

Irwin rejected criticism by child experts who condemned his stunt.

"Yeah, well you know what? As soon as you become a parent, that's what you hear – everyone else's advice," he said.

"Mate, me, I believe that while the fetus is in the womb they are taking in information.

"My child knows my voice, and you know what? – even when my kid, my little baby Bob, is asleep, he can smell his mother and wake up and want breast milk like that.

"I want him to be able to see what's going on, just like I did with Bindi. She's the most croc savvy kid in the world."

Irwin claimed that camera angles in the footage taken of his crocodile feeding stunt were distorted.

"Yeah, well, you know it (the crocodile) was a lot more than a metre away and the crocodile was fully extended on his back legs going up," Irwin said.

"You know they're not like a lion, they can't actually leap forward."

Irwin said he had a tape from the Australia Zoo camera that would show the act was not as dangerous as the public believed.

". . . which will give you another angle so all that ugly stacked-up vision of me looking like I endangered my child will be put to bed very quickly."

Irwin said his mother, who had also handled crocodiles, was not killed by one of the reptiles but had died in a car crash.

Irwin also said he cared about his family before his international reputation.

"My grandfather and my great grandfather died for me and you, for democracy, so I can stand there and go `Crikey have a look at this little beauty!' and I can raise my children to be the people they are."



privacy © Herald and Weekly Times

[AgentSun]

you go, steve irwin. you go man. a lot of people have said what i already think (i just got back and missed a lot) which is that he wasn't putting his child in danger. he knew what he was doing and none of us know as much about crocs as he does and we can't judge whether he was putting his child in danger.

[mgraylorn]

I have just two words for you - Roy Horn. And that tiger was a lot more domesticated than any crocodile.

Yes Irwin probably knows more about crocodiles than anyone. But, accidents happen. He says, no way was I going to slip. Well, who's to say he might not trip over a rock, or step in a hole, or in some other way fall down? Accidents happen. And while teaching the kids to be "croc savvy" is good, ask any child development researcher, a 1 month old is incapable of learning something that complicated.

Whether he was right next to the beast or a meter away, bringing a 1 month old into the pen while feeding the crocodile was a bad idea.

[NebariNookiee]

The only reason it's a bad idea to us is because we don't know any better. Everyone seems so eager to condemn Irwin for this and he did absolutely nothing wrong -- except that he had it filmed. We don't know how to handle ourselves in a croc pin -- he does. Everyone seems to be forgetting something – not only has he done this his entire life – but his father did the same thing with him. And lets not forget that Steve still has all of his fingers and toes. That shows me that the baby was in good hands. Regardless of what any of us think -- the man should be allowed to do what he feels is right -- we're too ignorant to say anything otherwise.