I saw this in someone's journal on DA, and was pretty much convinced that it was yet-another "urban legend", since there have already been many untrue reports about Steve Irwin being killed by this or that animal. However, this is reported on Yahoo News, and Snopes.com, which debunks rumors and urban legends, has confirmed it. How very sad. He was killed by a large stingray which pierced his heart with its barb.
While many people might have considered Irwin to be a nut-case, he did a lot to improve the image of reptiles like crocs and snakes, which are so hated and feared by so many people, and changed many attitudes about them. It is the animals themselves who will miss him the most.
pitbulllady