Steve Irwin’s Death Caught on Tape

It sounds like it happened so fast that no one could do anything to stop it.

BRISBANE, Australia (CNN) — “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, the Australian naturalist killed by a stingray on Monday, was videotaped pulling a poisonous barb from his chest just before he died, according to news reports.

Irwin’s manager John Stainton, who was among the television crew on the reef, said the accident was caught on videotape.

He described the footage of his friend dying as “terrible.”

“It shows that Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him (in the chest), and he pulled it out and the next minute he’s gone,” Stainton said.

“That was it. The cameraman had to shut down (after that),” Stainton said. Stainton will talk more about the footage on “Larry King Live” tonight at 9 p.m. ET.

I saw Steve’s show several times but wasn’t a regular viewer. However, every time I saw it I learned something new.

I have noticed a few people throughout the ‘sphere compare Steve’s death to Grizzly Man‘s, but I don’t see any similarity at all. The Grizzly Man was a nut who actually thought he could live with grizzly bears safely. Steve, on the other hand, was completely aware of the danger involved in his profession. I remember on at least one occasion when I saw his show, after he had just wrestled with a crocodile, warning his viewers to never try to get too close to wild animals themselves, that what he and his cohorts were doing was very dangerous.

Last night Animal Planet had a marathon showing of the Crocodile Hunter and I caught one show. I turned it on just in time to see Steve Irwin, at another place and time and completely unaware of the fate waiting for him on September 4th, 2006, say that he would want to be remembered as passionate and a conservationist.

I’d say his wish is being honored.

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