This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/5311298.stm
The article has changed 16 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 14 | Version 15 |
|---|---|
| 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin killed | 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin killed |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Australian naturalist and television personality Steve Irwin has been killed by a stingray during a diving expedition off the Australian coast. | Australian naturalist and television personality Steve Irwin has been killed by a stingray during a diving expedition off the Australian coast. |
| Mr Irwin, 44, died after being struck in the chest by the stingray's barb while he was filming a documentary in Queensland's Great Barrier Reef. | Mr Irwin, 44, died after being struck in the chest by the stingray's barb while he was filming a documentary in Queensland's Great Barrier Reef. |
| Paramedics from Cairns rushed to the scene but were unable to save him. | Paramedics from Cairns rushed to the scene but were unable to save him. |
| Mr Irwin was known for his television show The Crocodile Hunter and his work with native Australian wildlife. | Mr Irwin was known for his television show The Crocodile Hunter and his work with native Australian wildlife. |
| Police in Queensland confirmed the environmentalist's death and said his family had been notified. Mr Irwin was married with two young children. | Police in Queensland confirmed the environmentalist's death and said his family had been notified. Mr Irwin was married with two young children. |
| HAVE YOUR SAY His programmes were a joy to watch Graham RodhouseHelmond, Netherlands Send us your reaction Obituary: Wildlife showman Irwin in pictures | HAVE YOUR SAY His programmes were a joy to watch Graham RodhouseHelmond, Netherlands Send us your reaction Obituary: Wildlife showman Irwin in pictures |
| Mr Irwin's manager John Stainton told the BBC the stingray's barb had pierced the personality's heart. | Mr Irwin's manager John Stainton told the BBC the stingray's barb had pierced the personality's heart. |
| "He came over the top of a stingray and a barb, the stingray's barb went up and put a hole into his heart," he said. | "He came over the top of a stingray and a barb, the stingray's barb went up and put a hole into his heart," he said. |
| "We got him back within a couple of minutes to Croc 1, which is Steve's research vessel, and by 12 o'clock when the emergency crew arrived they pronounced him dead." | "We got him back within a couple of minutes to Croc 1, which is Steve's research vessel, and by 12 o'clock when the emergency crew arrived they pronounced him dead." |
| The incident happened at Batt Reef, off Port Douglas. | The incident happened at Batt Reef, off Port Douglas. |
| It's a huge loss to Australia - he was a wonderful character John Howard,Australian Prime Minister | It's a huge loss to Australia - he was a wonderful character John Howard,Australian Prime Minister |
| Australian Prime Minister John Howard said he had known Mr Irwin well, and that the country had lost a "wonderful and colourful son". | |
| "I am quite shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden untimely and freakish death", he said. | "I am quite shocked and distressed at Steve Irwin's sudden untimely and freakish death", he said. |
| "It's a huge loss to Australia - he was a wonderful character, he was a passionate environmentalist, he brought entertainment and excitement to millions of people." | "It's a huge loss to Australia - he was a wonderful character, he was a passionate environmentalist, he brought entertainment and excitement to millions of people." |
| The stingray is a flat, triangular-shaped fish, commonly found in tropical waters. | The stingray is a flat, triangular-shaped fish, commonly found in tropical waters. |
| What happened to Steve Irwin is like being stabbed in the heart Dr Geoff IsbisterClinical toxicologist It gets its name from the razor-sharp barb at the end of its tail, coated in toxic venom, which the animal uses to defend itself with when it feels threatened. | What happened to Steve Irwin is like being stabbed in the heart Dr Geoff IsbisterClinical toxicologist It gets its name from the razor-sharp barb at the end of its tail, coated in toxic venom, which the animal uses to defend itself with when it feels threatened. |
| Attacks on humans are a rarity - only one other person is known to have died in Australia from a stingray attack, at St Kilda, Melbourne in 1945. | Attacks on humans are a rarity - only one other person is known to have died in Australia from a stingray attack, at St Kilda, Melbourne in 1945. |
| "Stingrays only sting in defence, they're not aggressive animals so the animal must have felt threatened. It didn't sting out of aggression, it stung out of fear," Dr Bryan Fry, Deputy Director of the Australian Venom Research Unit at the University of Melbourne said. | "Stingrays only sting in defence, they're not aggressive animals so the animal must have felt threatened. It didn't sting out of aggression, it stung out of fear," Dr Bryan Fry, Deputy Director of the Australian Venom Research Unit at the University of Melbourne said. |
| Baby stunt | Baby stunt |
| Experts say that while painful, stingray venom is rarely lethal and it would have been the wound caused by the barb itself, which could measure up to 20cm long, which proved fatal. | Experts say that while painful, stingray venom is rarely lethal and it would have been the wound caused by the barb itself, which could measure up to 20cm long, which proved fatal. |
| STINGRAYS Members of the Dasyatidae family of cartilaginous fish, with about 70 species worldwideMostly found in tropical seas, but exist in freshwater tooFeed primarily on molluscs and crustaceans on sea floorSwim with flying motion using large pectoral wingsUsually docile, not known to attack aggressivelyEquipped with venom-coated razor-sharp barbed or serrated tail, up to 20cm long | STINGRAYS Members of the Dasyatidae family of cartilaginous fish, with about 70 species worldwideMostly found in tropical seas, but exist in freshwater tooFeed primarily on molluscs and crustaceans on sea floorSwim with flying motion using large pectoral wingsUsually docile, not known to attack aggressivelyEquipped with venom-coated razor-sharp barbed or serrated tail, up to 20cm long |
| "What happened to Steve Irwin is like being stabbed in the heart. It has little to do with the venom and all to do with the trauma caused by the barb of the stingray," Dr Geoff Isbister, a clinical toxicologist at the Mater Hospital in Newcastle, Australia, said. | "What happened to Steve Irwin is like being stabbed in the heart. It has little to do with the venom and all to do with the trauma caused by the barb of the stingray," Dr Geoff Isbister, a clinical toxicologist at the Mater Hospital in Newcastle, Australia, said. |
| Mr Irwin had built up what was a small reptile park in Queensland into what is now Australia Zoo, a major centre for Australian wildlife. | Mr Irwin had built up what was a small reptile park in Queensland into what is now Australia Zoo, a major centre for Australian wildlife. |
| He was famous for handling dangerous creatures such as crocodiles, snakes and spiders, and his documentaries on his work with crocodiles drew a worldwide audience. | He was famous for handling dangerous creatures such as crocodiles, snakes and spiders, and his documentaries on his work with crocodiles drew a worldwide audience. |
| But he also courted controversy with a series of stunts. | But he also courted controversy with a series of stunts. |
| He sparked outrage across Australia after cradling his one-month-old son a metre away from the reptile during a show at Australia Zoo. | He sparked outrage across Australia after cradling his one-month-old son a metre away from the reptile during a show at Australia Zoo. |
| An investigation was launched into whether Mr Irwin and his team interacted too closely with penguins and whales while filming in the Antarctic, but no action was taken. | An investigation was launched into whether Mr Irwin and his team interacted too closely with penguins and whales while filming in the Antarctic, but no action was taken. |
| Foreign Minister Alexander Downer praised Mr Irwin for his work to promote Australia. | Foreign Minister Alexander Downer praised Mr Irwin for his work to promote Australia. |