Crikey!! The Animal World Gets Revenge!
I know that I am "insensitive" and possibly even a “feminist bitch”…and I probably have a spot reserved in hell. But I firmly believe in my right to free speech.
I have to say that I was not surprised to hear that Steve Irwin, the great Crocodile Hunter, was taken out by a stingray when I turned on Good Morning America earlier in the week. I had actually thought to myself, on several occasions when I had caught glimpses of him on Animal Planet, “Some day that freak is going to fuck with some really grumpy creature and that will be his demise”. And, I was right. I have always had a problem with the way that he went about taunting animals “in the name of conservation”. Not just subdued, furry little animals. But animals that can actually KILL you. So I have been somewhat surprised by the overall reaction to his death. Atleast, the reaction represented in the media—I have only heard one other person with a similar view as mine and she was crucified for making statements such as this.
I have had great admiration for “nature guys” like Marlon Perkins and David Attenborough. I spent hours watching Mutual of Omahas Wild Kingdom as a child. Those guys had a real respect for nature. They didn’t have a need to wrestle it or taunt it. Just look at it, and maybe relocate a few chosen animals to a safer location. They knew when they were over their heads and when they needed to take a step back from Mother Nature.
I can’t help myself. I am on the side of the stingray. Most of the time, I find myself siding with the animals. And I find myself embarassed to be a “human being”, as we go about trashing the planet that we have to live on and expect it to keep supporting our decadent lifestyles. Maybe that is one point I would agree with Steve Irwin on—the conservation point. But man, if you think you can be in the face of a crocidile or stingray—or any other large animal with large teeth and/or barbs and an extreme temper, and not get killed or atleast injured, you are an idiot. My home team will continue to be the animals!! Stingray 1-Steve Irwin-0!