Crikey!

It's been almost four years since Steve Irwin, Naturalist, Zoologist, and Conservationist extraordinaire, died from a sting ray barb.

I remember where I was when I heard the news.......

We were on our way to Williamsburg for the week. It was early September. Dad, who was still at home, called us about mid-afternoon. Mom was on the cell phone, and suddenly I hear her say, "Oh, no." I asked her what was wrong, and she told me Steve Irwin was dead. I was shocked. Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter, dead? Impossible. He was invincible.

When we got to our hotel, we flipped on the news. Sure enough, all the news stations were buzzing about Steve's death. I was still in a sort of daze about the whole thing. The Crocodile Hunter had taught us so many things about crocodiles, Australia, and just nature in general. Now he was gone.

The following nights, Animal Planet aired special shows dedicated to Steve. His wife, Terri, and daughter, Bindi, talked for a bit. It was so sad, to see all he had done for the conservation effort during his lifetime. It was heartbreaking to see Bindi cry for her dad. I cried for him, and I didn't even know him! But Steve meant a lot to people, just for how he talked and what he did.

A couple weeks later, his funeral was shown on television. So many people attended.......most just avid fans who wanted to show their support for Steve's family. I can still see Bindi standing up in front of hundreds of people and talking about her dad and all he had meant to her. Bindi was only six or seven, yet her little speech touched my heart.

Even these years later, I still sometimes forget the Crocodile Hunter is gone. Sometimes I think, "Hey, Steve talked about that on a show!" or I remember something we learned about crocs from his show (like the death roll they do to ward off predators). So many things we learned from that great man.

And while Steve believed in protecting endangered species, he was not an environmentalist. He called himself a conservationist----he educated people on the beauty of nature and animals. He showed that crocodiles aren't really cold-blooded, savage beasts, but just another part of God's creation (No, I don't think he actually said God's creation). He made people want to help conserve animals, but not save them or 'protect them.' The Bible says God has called us to be good stewards of the world he has given us. Even though he might not have realized it, Steve was doing just that: helping to conserve the beautiful earth God has given us.



Anyway, the reason I went off on the nostalgic journey was this article I saw on crocodiles: http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/secretrevealedhowcrocodilescrossoceans


We love you Steve, and you will always live on in our hearts. I pray that you are singing with the angels in Heaven!


Thanks for reading my emotional post, guys.

Love,