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News

Crocodile baby dangler

43 replies

Evansmum · 02/01/2004 19:06

Oh my lord, did anyone else see crocodile expert Steve Irwin dangling his 1 month old son in front of a croc? And 'walking' him to the crododiles' pool? This has to be the sickest publicity stunt ever.

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JanH · 02/01/2004 20:14

Oh my lord yes I did. Couldn't believe it - and he turned his back on the croc he'd just fed while he "walked" the baby to the pool!!! I always thought he was nuts, but it's one thing taking chances yourself, different endangering a tiny baby. Very sick.

zebra · 02/01/2004 20:29

Only see a still photo, but yes, does look pretty stupid.

Paula71 · 02/01/2004 21:37

I remember seeing one of the episodes of "Crocodile Hunter" when his daughter was little (about 1 yr old.) Him and his wife were doing those, lets-walk-round-the-jungle-at-night stints and gave Bindi a tarantula to play with! They were saying to her don't hurt the pretty spider! Aaaarrgggghhhh!

happycat · 02/01/2004 21:43

Now if micheal Jackson had done that.I didn't see it but it sounds shocking when was it?

Cherubs · 02/01/2004 22:21

He is an absolute moron. I hope child welfare are going to look nto this.

donnie · 02/01/2004 22:33

I saw this on the news just a little while ago...what a complete fuckwit, if you will excuse my French!!! he obviously sees his son as a trophy and nothing more.

Evansmum · 02/01/2004 22:35

Happycat, was on the news tonight. He fed the croc with one hand while holding the baby in the other. Blimey, and I worry about my ds wriggling off the changing mat (I use the mat on the floor).

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Hulababy · 02/01/2004 22:36

Story and photo are here .

Seems absolutely ridiculous. If it was anyone else it would be front page news slamming him. He is truely mad.

Jollymum · 02/01/2004 22:38

Well, I always thought he knew his stuff, had great respect for him as a conservationist etc and for being barmy, but that's gone.What an idiot-surely he would know better than anyone that crocs can't be trusted and who the hell (apart from Michael Jackson) would be stupid enough to risk a kid! Can you imagine his wife's face when he got home??!!

pie · 02/01/2004 22:39

Jollymum...his wife carried the baby over to him in the Crocodile enclosure.

Hulababy · 02/01/2004 22:40

Apparantly his mum thought the baby had had "a sensory experience" and she said "he dug it". I think they are as bad as each other to be honest.

happycat · 02/01/2004 22:46

Hulababy just looked at picture can't belive it what a tosser I used to like him too

polly28 · 03/01/2004 01:02

I had a hard time watching this,it really made me squirm.The poor babys head looked so uncomfortable being bobbed up and down when he was "walked" to the pond.
What a wanker!

bloss · 03/01/2004 03:40

Message withdrawn

emmatmg · 03/01/2004 07:51

What a fuc*ing prick!
and wifey needs a slap too........'he dug it' he's a month old you stupid tart!

bobthebaby · 03/01/2004 07:58

He wouldn't even have been able to see the croc! Maybe be its a Southern Hemisphere thing but I am more concerned about the baby having no hat and bare arms and legs in the middle of a Queensland Summer, or does his son have to get used to skin cancer too...Good name though!

hmb · 03/01/2004 08:03

The man is an idiot!

Must say when I first saw the title of this thread I thought that it was about some sort of new baby bouncer

Evansmum · 03/01/2004 10:25

Ah. I see your point hmb! But he did dangle the poor thing... and has since justified himself by saying he'd only slip if there was a meteor strike.PS thanks Bloss, I was trying to remember about tarantulas ? but isn't the tarantella dance named after them? In the (very dim) recesses of my brain thought this had something to do with if you were bitten by one you danced around a bit, but possibly a myth.

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JanH · 03/01/2004 10:54

They can all bite I think, most aren't poisonous but the bite hurts so you jump around - hence the dance (maybe!).

Hulababy · 03/01/2004 10:56

When a trantula is alarmed it can shoot its spiky bits out towards the threat. My BIL saw one do just that last weekend at a picnic in Oz. He said it was quite scary.

marthamoo · 03/01/2004 10:57

I don't think there's any doubt that he knows what he's doing around crocs (bloss) but I would say, that as that's the case, he should KNOW that no animal is 100% predictable. And while it's fine for him, as an adult, to take a risk, it's absolutely irresponsible for him to put his child in that situation. When he was dancing that baby boy on the floor in front of the crocodile (was on ITV news last night) it made me feel sick.

I'll probably get lynched here but I think a lot of people who are crazy about animals are literally that, crazy. Not just crocodiles but dogs, cats etc. How often do you hear somone say of their ferocious looking dog "he'd never hurt a fly"? How do you know? It's an animal! Remember seeing Kilroy (shame) once where pro and anti -dog people were talking. there was one woman who bred pit-bull type dogs and said she regularly left her toddler alone in a room with several of them "I know they'd never hurt him...they're so gentle." Completely insane. I wouldn't leave my toddler alone with his grandparents' ancient and extremely docile cat.

Cats, dogs, budgies, crocodiles, whatever - no matter how well you know them, or how much of an expert you are, they are still animals and therefore never 100% predictable. Steve Irwin is a reckless and irresponsible parent and his wife sounds a few shillings short of a pound too.

bloss · 03/01/2004 11:08

Message withdrawn

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JanH · 03/01/2004 11:49

bloss - Australian tarantulas ???

Hulababy · 03/01/2004 12:03

bloss - it was a bird eating spider; which is what the word tarantula means apparantly so very similar thing.

JanH · 03/01/2004 12:10

Hulababy, I was going to mention bird-eating spiders before but then I googled and got confused so gave up. Apparently they "rarely" eat birds but defend themselves like this:

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