Steve Irwin - Film Crew Update
Steve Irwin's film crew have spoken about the death of the Crocodile Hunter, who was killed by a stingray in North Queensland.
Irwin's fellow documentary maker Ben Cropp revealed that footage shows Irwin swimming alongside a large smooth stingray, also known as a bull ray, in less than two metres of water, while a cameraman from his production company swam in front to film him for a new TV wildlife series.
Without warning, the ray, usually regarded as a placid creature towards humans, stopped, turned and lashed out, spearing Irwin in the chest with one of the knife-like barbs at the end of its tail - an action like a paring knife creating "a terrific tearing of flesh", said Bryan Fry, of the University of Melbourne's Australian venom research unit.
It was not known today whether Irwin, 44, died of a heart attack, blood loss from the wound, venom from the ray or a combination of all three. It was only the third known death by stingray in Australia.
Ben Cropp has not seen the footage but spoke to a friend on Irwin's research vessel, Croc One, which he had been using in the area for several days.
"I wanted to know the truth before the bullshit got out," Cropp said. "I can picture it happening; the ray must have felt threatened. Mostly they get spooked and swim off but in this case it stops, swings and jabs upward with its tail. It can lash a metre or more. Steve must have been in a vulnerable position. He probably got too close. "Do I think he was irresponsible? No, he was unlucky. I know because I've done it myself, but in my case the ray missed me."
Pete West, a professional diver, was on a nearby boat at the time of the tragedy and confirmed Cropp's version of events.
Asked if Irwin was alive when they got him on his own boat, Mr West said: "I believe so."
Irwin's friend and producer, John Stainton, said it was unlikely he had felt any pain. He had been taken back to Croc One but had not regained consciousness despite attempts by crew to revive him.
"We got him back within a couple of minutes to Croc One," Stainton said tearfully. "We tried to quickly trip back to Low Isles, where we were going to meet the emergency rescue people to do immediate and constant CPR, try and resuscitate him back into life. When we got there it was probably 10 to 12, and by 12 o'clock, when the emergency crew arrived, they pronounced him dead."
Stainton said the crew from the Brisbane-based best Picture Show Company had been filming in the Cairns and Port Douglas area for a documentary called Ocean's Deadliest. "It was basically looking at things that can kill you in the sea," Stainton said.
The crew was travelling on Irwin's 22-metre, double-decked research boat, which he designed and engineered. It has two floating crocodile traps, an inflatable dinghy for diving, two shark dive cages and two cranes for lifting heavy creatures from the water. It was also built for a helicopter.
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