Excellent summary of Steve Irwins appeal and the good work he did. A classic example of a pragmatist doing a world of good for the creatures he loved. Interesting comparison with the "Grizzly Man", hadn't considered that.

In contrast, Germaine Greer appears as the stereotypical "elite" feminist, given her association with the movement I'd say she's done a shit load of damage to the publics perception of feminism. Her appearance on Australian TV was nauseating beyond belief.

The day before news of Steve Irwin's death hit the wires my wife and I visited Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. If I'd never heard the message Steve and Teri Irwin spread to the world through "The Crocodile Hunter" I'm not sure that I would have looked at the komodo dragon, monitor lizards and chameleons that were part of the special exhibit currently at the Shedd the same way.

Thanks to Steve, I could see these animals not as things to be feared, but things to be admired and respected. The genius of Steve Irwin was that when you got past the crocodile captures and the Australian persona that seemed straight of Monty Python's "Bruces" sketch, you found a dedicated and passionate conservationist, one with the gift of passing that passion on to others. And Irwin didn't settle for easy "be good to Mother Earth" platitudes--he explained why these animals are important to the environment, and why their absence would diminish us.

Steve Irwin's death is a great loss, but my hope is that his friends and family will carry on his legacy and keep educating the rest of us.

Just wanted to mention that you have the name of Jeff Corwin listed as Jim Corwin in the story.

To the naysayers in the other Steve Irwin letter thread, who doubted his devotion to his family:

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20360714-5001021,00.html

" The fearless crocodile hunter also spoke of juggling his time between 15m crocodiles and toy dolls in an effort to be with Bindi [his little daughter].

"I'm hanging off his head and he's trying to kill me,'' he said of one scary croc wrestle.

"And Bindi says, `Excuse me Daddy, when you're finished here could you please come back up to the camp and play with Barbie with me?

"When I finished with that croc I went back to the camp and did dress-ups with the Barbie dolls.'' "

A class act, all the way. My heart breaks for his family. I hope someday as they transcend this, they will take some comfort in knowing that he was out doing what he loved (second) best, and was fearless even as he merged with the infinite.

A couple of things: It's Jeff Corwin, not Jim. Roy Horn, according to his own account of the incident, was injured when he suffered a stroke on stage; the tiger was trying to drag him to safety (and exactly where do you get off declaring that he "anthropomorphized" it?) And Steve Irwin, for all the good he did for animals, made an annoying habit of bothering creatures that had done nothing to deserve it. I recall seeing him do a piece on snapping turtles. He reached into one's lair and pulled it out, and all I could yell at the TV was, "Leave the goddamn animals alone!" It's possible to educate people about animals without making a nuisance of yourself; of course, it takes more patience and self-control. I feel bad that Irwin died, especially given his young children, but it's hard to ignore character traits that looked to viewers a lot like a death wish.

Thank you Salon for a well written and commemorative article on Steve Irwin. I couldn't help but feel sad the day I heard he passed on. My younger brother couldn't help but be in disbelief and sorrow either when I told him. We're older now, but we remember when we first saw the Crocodile Hunter on Animal Planet so long ago. I was 16 and he was 14 (we are both in our twenties now). It definitely shows the impact Steve Irwin makes for two teenagers to remember the first time they saw him on television.

I believe along with the writer that Steve Irwin was very strong and firm in protecting animals, especially protecting those who aren't so cute and cuddly. Not every animal in the world is going to be soft and fuzzy like rabbits and they need protection just as much as the rest of the endangered species. I think that's why he drew so much attention when he first appeared on television. No one dared touched a crocodile or snake like he did. No one dared to take the risks associated with such dangerous animals. But he did with a combination of joy and understanding for the animal, no matter how scaley or ugly it was. That kind of persona and charm is rare to find. His excitement was truly refreshing and fun when we saw it.

The world will miss you very much Steve. Not just the people who held you dear, but the animals you've saved and preserved from outside harm. If they knew, I'm sure the crocodiles would shed tears of their own.

... the Carson Daily of TV Naturalists. Or is that the Dane Cook of TV Naturalists?

I prefer my Naturist shows simple, puppetized, and psychedelic-clamationized. Which is why I watch Zaboomafoo on PBS Sprout with my toddler. Weird stuff, man... Easier on the brain than all that intense risking of life and limb!

Just FYI for northern hemisphere-centric folks. NZ is "nearby" to Australia the way Sioux Falls, SD is "near" New York City or Los Angeles is "near" Vancouver, BC.

It's 1300 miles at the closest point.

Geesh.

Meh - I'm a Kiwi living in Australia and it didn't bug me. NZ & Au are "close" in that its only a 3 hr plane flight from Sydney to Auckland, as opposed the the 9-10 hours flying across Australia or 13 hrs plus to the US or 30 hrs to Europe etc ...

She's been getting belted around in Aussie for days now with her mean-spirited attack on Steve Irwin. I sometimes admire Germaine for her intellect and her forceful opinions, but she's a mean-spirited old hag at times (like this). To point out Irwin was a bit of a boofhead who got too excited with animals is to miss the point about him entirely. At least he cared. Greer believes in nussing, Lebowski. A virulent snob to her core, she has dismissed the genuine outpouring of sadness at his death as a symbol of the decline and fall of Western Civilisation. This sort of opinion may cause a lot of yuks at a Chelsea dinner party (where I am sure mistreated beef, chicken, or fish is on the menu), but to me it is just the grumbling of an old dinosaur who last had something interesting to say in 1969, when dinosaurs like her still walked the earth.