Steve Irwin Crocodile Man

Right on, people are way overacting. It's like saying you shouldnt take a baby into a plane even if you're a trained pilot.

I have seen the footage and I consider it child endagerment. It doesn't take an animal expert to know better than to do what Steve Irwin did.

I always liked Steve Irwin. I did not like watching the footage because I guess the worrywart in me goes what if that croc did something Steve Irwin didn't expect while he was holding that little baby in his arms. But I also think that he was not doing anything to hurt or endanger his baby. He thought he was sharing something that he loves and had complete control over the situation. The question is can you always predict how an animal will behave? - no therefore you do not have control. BTW, I love Australian men, Hugh Jackman and Keith Urban - yummy - handsome and an accent what more could you want?

Sure, there is a chance that the alligator might do something unexpected, but there are many situations in which we place babies that could result in their deaths: driving (always a chance for crashing to one's death), flying (always a chance for crashing to one's death), taking them to the mall (always a chance of psycho terrorist), petting zoos (i.e. animal goes crazy and kills everything in its path), etc. Sure, the baby was in some danger, but babies are always in danger. At least the child was in the hands of a professional.

What if the alligator had attacked Irwin that day just as the tiger that attacked Roy Horn. Just because this alligator has never attacked anyone before doesn't mean that he will. I also don't believe that an alligator can tell the difference between food and a baby.

Yes - us Australian men are rather rugged and handsome... Keith Urban is a Kiwi though... but they are practically Australia anyway...
Steve Irwin is one of the most genuine people you will ever come across... Everyone acknowledges that a Croc is unpredictable, and that they are dificult creatures to deal with, but at the same time, we should all acknowledge that if anyone can judge what a croc is going to do, it would probably be him... This has destroyed his marketability in the states, but i dont really think he cares how much money he is making, because he is doing what he loves - and thats what makes him the stand out guy that he is.

Correct me if I'm wrong but: Did a wallaby eat his first baby?

his first baby was a wallaby... no, i am just messin with ya

wallaby's are the cutest little things, and would have trouble picking a fight with a mouse...

Very interesting points. It's not as cut and dry of an issue as people would like to make it out to be. People tend to react with emotion rather than logic in most situations.

I like Steve Irwin a lot. As a parent, I thought his explaination of this being an example of teaching his kids what is in their back yard was just plain crazy. You can't teach a newborn anything ! He had meat dangling in one hand and baby/meat in the other. He has had tangles with crocs before. I am just wondering why a parent would put an infant in any unneccessary danger. Yes, kids are in danger all the time. All the more reason to not add to it!

I, personally don't equate this with Australia in general in any way. I might if enough Australians think this was perfeclty normal. I grew up around horses, bulls, bears, etc. I learned the dangers of them without having my parents put me in real danger. They taught me be reading to me and showing me how adults deal with these animals. It is hard enough for adults to deal with those kind of dangers. Children don't have the strength, instincts, or quick mindedness to deal with animal behavior.

I do think that just as many people put their kids/infants in equal danger every day by being too relaxed with them around dogs. A lot of people start thinking of there dogs as people. They are still animals no matter what and can do unpredictable, violent things if you don't keep a close eye out. Therefore, I don't think Steve should be persecuted any more than joe schmoe down the road that lets his 12 month old get in the face of the neighbor's dog. It is bad judgement all around.

Just as a disclaimer to dog lovers out there, I love dogs. I have grown up with dogs for as long as I can remember. I love them as part of my family but you always have to remember that they are animals and don't think like people. And that is all I have to say about that.

One more thing, if you have no fear of any animal, you are either ignorant or crazy. Bad things happen when people get over confident around dangerous animals. A certain amount of fear will keep you alive. Even Steve Irwin admits he gets scared, heart racing, around some venomous snakes. He almost got blinded by a cobra's spray one time.

Let me step in here a minute.

First of all i completely disagree that you can't teach a new born anything. They dont "learn" in the way we think of learning at that age, but they do get conditioned. This is the whole reason they tell you that you should talk to your baby while it's still inside the womb. Because the baby will become accustomed to your voice from that very young age.

Often times marital arts instructors will begin to "train" their children before they can even walk. Not by teaching them to throw punches or build muscle but by playing poking-games like when you try to tickle someone. The baby doesnt learn a structured martial art, but they learn self defense in trying to block the hand from tickling them, just like an animal would by play-fighting with their brothers and sisters.

Now onto the more specific issue of animals. Steve irwin is a super-expert on the subject. He knows how fast crocs move, and how to slap their jaws down, etc. His goal, i'm sure, is to train his children to do what he does, just as his father did with him. By exposing his child to animals, especially "feirce" ones at such a young age, the child will grow to have a natural kinship with them. It's widely known that people who know how to just relax around animals can handle them much better.

This child is going to live in a wildlife zoo/rescue/preserve for the first part of it's life. Can you honestly look at Steve Irwin and tell me that you dont think HIS father sat him down near animals as a young child?

Young child, yes. Newborn, his baby was only a couple months old, no. An infant that age can not learn to do anything with its body at that age. It might learn to recognize sounds or shapes but that is about it. I know a lot about child development. A newborn had no place near an animal of any kind. I simply won't be convinced of that no matter what.

A newborn baby can hardly see. It can't control its body. How is it going to learn about crocs by being dangled by one while it is being teased with a piece of meat. Even if he were teaching it, what lesson did he teach? It seemed to me like he was doing it for publicity or was just not using his head. I am not condemning him. I am just objecting that it was a wise thing to do. It is his child. I dare say most would object to letting him do that with their own newborn.

I am wondering why it wasn't his older child that he was teaching? She's at least a couple of years old.

I dont doubt he did the same with his other child, just maybe not on camera.

and i wasnt sayign he was TEACHING it anything....but the early conditioning of being acustomed to such animals, as you get acustomed to your parents voices, even while still in the womb.

Nope, still not buying it. He could accomplish the same by playing one of his videos for the infant. No need to have them in harms way.

Nope, still not buying it. He could accomplish the same by playing one of his videos for the infant. No need to have them in harms way.

I don't know why that posted twice

Just a note... it's not like it was just the three of them either (daddy, baby, animal.) There were other people around, other people who might have stepped in if anything were to go awry. I think the whole thing is being blown out of proportion, too. And I don't think that it's fear that keeps people from being harmed/killed when around wild animals, perhaps a bit of stupidity about understanding an animal's patterns, needs and instinct.

Yeah these are the same Americans that don't allow their kids to listen to violent music while their parents go to work at a giant nuclear weapons facility ~chuckles~ I love Steve Erwin and I don't think my mate would ever do anything to purposely or inadvertantly hurt his children. Tell American media to "bugger off"

If you understood crocs perhaps you would think differently but you probably live in some apartment and never seen so much as a deer ~chuckles~

Have you guys seen the alternate footage supplied by Steve Irwin???

As always, the media have sensationalised something i would consider to be rather trivial, and, whilst it doesn't matter to Steve at all, because he is a genuine down to earth guy, the marketing side of his career is over, and it is a lot of $$$ down the drain, just so someone would sell a few news papers...

Having a 1 month old baby close to a croc is pretty poor judgement and totally unnecessary.

I live in the united states and I agree with you 100%. I don't think Steve did anything wrong. I do not believe for one minute he would put his son in harms way. The people here in the united states don't realize the dangers that face the children in Australia, at certain places. We have some danger here but nothing like there and the children need to know what to beware of. I believe Steve knows what he is doing. And I am sure he had plenty of eyes on him from his crew that day for safety. And what the media showed was one view. The people hear want to talk about DANGER. Just look at the way our teens all over are dressing these days. The make-up they are allowed to wear. And late at night you can see they roaming the streets and smoking. And then the parents wonder WHY. People should look in their own back yard before they even think of telling someone else how to raise their children. If you don't stay on top of things with your children, then what kind of parent are you? You point one finger at someone and there are four more pointing back at you. Unless your home is squeakie clean don't go on about other people. If this upsets or afends anyone I'm sorry. I think it is time to back off. GOD BLESS YOU STEVE AND TERRI, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

I agree with you 100%. Look at how many people even let their children stand up in the carts at stores. Or a parent will go shoping in a store and let the kids run off on their own. Big Mistake! There was a lady who once was in one isle and her infant baby was in the cart a isle or two away while she was looking for something. My husband and I stood there for a good ten minutes or so before she came back. How long did she think it would take for someone to run off with that baby. One of the problems with this country is not letting the parents raise their children.

I AGREE WITH YOU ALL THE WAY. THE MEDIA IS OUT TO SELL PAPERS. EVEN IF THEY DON'T GIVE ALL THE FACTS. A LOT OF WHAT IS WROTE THESE DAYS IS RUBBISH. FREEDOM OF THE PRESS DOES NOT MEAN TO TELL A ONE SIDED STORY.