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<p>Steve Irwin's freak death filmed<br>
Ian Gerard and Tony Koch<br>
September 05, 2006<br>
FOOTAGE of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin being fatally attacked by a stingray <br>
on the Great Barrier Reef has been handed to Queensland police as fans <br>
worldwide come to grips with the "freak" death.<br>
Irwin, 44, was killed almost instantly when the stingray stabbed him in the <br>
heart with its poisonous 20cm barb as he snorkelled off Port Douglas, in <br>
north Queensland, yesterday morning.<br>
<br>
His American-born wife, Terri, was trekking in Tasmania's Cradle Mountain <br>
and Lake St Clair National Park when the news broke of her husband's death <br>
and was last night being raced back to Queensland with her two children <br>
Bindi, 8, and Bob, 2.<br>
<br>
"The footage shows him swimming in the water, the ray stopped and turned and <br>
that was it," said boatowner Peter West, who viewed the footage afterwards.<br>
<br>
"There was no blood in the water, it was not that obvious ... something <br>
happened with this animal that made it rear and he was at the wrong position <br>
at the wrong time and if it hit him anywhere else we would not be talking <br>
about a fatality."<br>
<br>
Irwin was shooting a documentary on dangerous marine life, in shallow water <br>
at Batt Reef, about 32 nautical miles offshore, at about 11am.<br>
<br>
Tributes poured in from around the world for Irwin, a renowned <br>
environmentalist who was estimated to be earning more than $4million a year <br>
from his Queensland reptile park, Australia Zoo.<br>
<br>
Footage of the attack shows Irwin swimming above a 2.5m stingray before it <br>
turns on him and sends a poisonous barb through his heart.<br>
<br>
Irwin was pulled from the water by a cameraman and a crewman, put on an <br>
inflatable tender and taken to a support boat about 500m away.<br>
<br>
Crewmembers say he was barely conscious in the minutes after the sting and <br>
died as his production team rushed him to his vessel, Croc One, and to a <br>
nearby island for emergency treatment.<br>
<br>
A charter dive boat crew desperately tried to revive him on the beach, but <br>
were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead shortly afterwards by <br>
Queensland Rescue Service officers, who had flown to the area by helicopter.<br>
<br>
Irwin's body was last night flown to Cairns for a post-mortem examination as <br>
police seized all available evidence and interviewed witnesses in order to <br>
prepare a report for the Coroner.<br>
<br>
A coronial inquest is expected.<br>
<br>
Producer, director and life-long friend John Stainton yesterday said Irwin <br>
did not provoke the stingray and was simply swimming above it when he was <br>
attacked.<br>
<br>
"He came over the top of a stingray and the stingray barb went up and into <br>
his chest and into his heart," Stainton said.<br>
<br>
"It's likely that he possibly died instantly when the barb hit him, and I <br>
hope he felt no pain."<br>
<br>
One of Irwin's contemporaries, internationally known cameraman and <br>
spearfisherman Ben Cropp, was in his own boat off Port Douglas when Irwin <br>
was killed.<br>
<br>
"I have just spoken to a cameraman friend who was there and has seen the <br>
footage," Mr Cropp told The Australian last night.<br>
<br>
"He was up in the shallow water, probably 1.5m to 2m deep, following a bull <br>
ray which was about a metre across the body - probably weighing about 100kg, <br>
and it had quite a large spine.<br>
<br>
"The cameraman was filming in the water."<br>
<br>
Mr Cropp said the stingray was spooked and went into defensive mood.<br>
<br>
"It probably felt threatened because Steve was alongside and there was the <br>
cameraman ahead, and it felt there was danger and it baulked.<br>
<br>
"It stopped and went into a defensive mode and swung its tail with the <br>
spike.<br>
<br>
"Steve unfortunately was in a bad position and copped it.<br>
<br>
"I have had that happen to me, and I can visualise it - when a ray goes into <br>
defensive, you get out of the way.<br>
<br>
"Steve was so close he could not get away, so if you can imagine it - being <br>
right beside the ray and it swinging its spine upwards from underneath <br>
Steve - and it hit him.<br>
<br>
"I have seen that sort of reaction with rays - with their tail breaking the <br>
water, such is the force."<br>
<br>
Internationally renowned jellyfish sting expert Jamie Seymour was on board <br>
Irwin's boat at the time.<br>
<br>
Irwin had decided yesterday morning to shoot a segment of film on stingrays <br>
for a new television program that will be hosted by his daughter, Bindi.<br>
<br>
Surf Lifesavers national marine stinger adviser Lisa-Ann Gershwin said there <br>
had only been 17 fatal stingray attacks worldwide.<br>
<br>
"I think it's just an extraordinary freak accident that has happened to his <br>
heart," she said.<br>
"A lot of people will be afraid by this, but they need to keep in mind that <br>
this was a freak accident, it was a terrible tragedy but it is not common."<br>
<br>
Dr Gershwin said stingray stings to the legs or arms were common and, while <br>
painful, were not normally considered dangerous. She said there were many <br>
different types of stingrays, with barbs on their tails up to 30cm long, and <br>
they poisoned victims with a range of toxins.<br>
<br>
Mr West said the barb was like a "very rough knife" and while fatal stingray <br>
stings had been known to occur, filming and swimming alongside the animal <br>
was commonplace among marine filmmakers.<br>
<br>
Mr Cropp said he was told that the strike was "close to the heart and Steve <br>
had a cardiac arrest".<br>
<br>
"At first they treated him as being wounded, but he didn't survive <br>
unfortunately,<wbr>" he said.<br>
<br>
"The second boat in attendance raced in to give assistance and they radioed <br>
for help.<br>
<br>
"They went into Low Isle and met the chopper which took Steve's body out."<br>
<br>
In September 2004, Mr Cropp was attacked by a tiger shark on Bott Reef. "The <br>
rays in Australia and particularly in the north are not like those on the <br>
Cayman Islands, which are very quiet and allow people to ride on their <br>
backs," he said.<br>
<br>
"At this time of the year they are on the lookout for tiger sharks and are <br>
very frisky.<br>
<br>
"They are not aggressive. In fact they are very timid, but they defend <br>
themselves by throwing their tail spine upwards, and there is a spike on the <br>
tip about eight inches long which they can use like a dagger."<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20355112-601,00.html">http://www.theaustr<wbr>alian.news.<wbr>com.au/story/<wbr>0,20867,20355112<wbr>-601,00.html</a><br>
<br>
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