Beerwah, Australia
Australia was planning a state funeral this week for naturalist Steve Irwin, the star of TV’s Crocodile Hunter series and a beloved national icon. Known for getting perilously close to dangerous beasts, Irwin, 44, was killed in a rare attack by a stingray while making a documentary. The ray, which evidently felt threatened because Irwin was snorkeling just a few feet above it, whipped its stinger right into Irwin’s heart. Film of the attack shows Irwin pulling the poisonous barb out of his chest just before he died. Prime Minister John Howard said Irwin’s “sudden, untimely, and freakish death” shocked and saddened the nation. “It’s a huge loss to Australia,” he said. Irwin had served as a kind of Australian cultural ambassador to the U.S., although his popularity there began waning in 2004, after he held his 1-month-old son while feeding a crocodile.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
July 20 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include AI replacing workers, and Donald Trump trying to divert media attention away from the Epstein files
-
5 suspiciously good cartoons about the Epstein filesCartoons Artists take on the relationship between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein
-
A glorious Greek island without the 'swank'The Week Recommends Lesbos doesn't welcome 'hoards' of tourists, but is 'magnificent' and worth exploring
