Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Sadness

By now, everyone knows about the Crocodile Hunter and his tragic accident. I have to admit, it hit me a lot harder than I thought it would. Sure, I watched his show, but not regularly. But still - it was an absolute shock to hear he'd died. Such a damn shame. I keep thinking about his two kids - how horrible it must be for them. And for his wife. How do you reconcile such a thing when one minute a person's right there and the next, they're gone? I can't imagine anything happening to my husband - not at all - and he is in construction, which is dangerous in its own right. Even with all the safety precautions - it's just reminder than there are no certainties. People will say how Steve Irwin agitated animals, etc. and I'd seen him grab snakes and all that - but what they fail to remember is that he knew what he was doing. He'd been around animals just about all of his life and he knew how to handle them. He certainly wasn't some schmuck who thought it'd be funny to swing a cobra around by its tail. He was trained to handle these animals.

Personally, I hate snakes. Get rid of every last one of them, as far as I am concerned. But, I have to admit, while I still hate the damn things, I have respect for them and that is because of people like Steve Irwin. I'll admit, I don't know why anyone would go ga-ga over snakes and crocs, but I have learned a lot about them and I have the Crocodile Hunter to thank for that. And I think that is important. Hopefully, his wife and his children will carry on his legacy - education and respect for all wildlife, not just the cute and furry critters, but the ugly venemous, icky ones as well.

Rest in peace, Steve

Thank you.

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