Crikey! It’s More Baby Dangling.

When Michael Jackson dangled his baby off of a balcony it was a very stupid thing to do. One slip and the baby could have dropped a long way. To further add to this, he was changing positions in his hands with his baby still suspended over the drop.

Now comes Steve Irwin, Crocodile Hunter.

It pisses me off to see the media and do-gooders go after someone for no reason at all. Steve is having to explain this thing over and over to the idiotic press who are trying to take down a guy who is larger then life. Jealousy perhaps, or maybe just a slow news day. Either way, the accusations are nothing but ridiculous.

Now I’m not a crocodile expert (and let’s not forget Steve is), but that short video they have been showing does not look like Steve ever put his child in harms way. You must remember that these animals Steve works with are in his zoo. He knows every one of them inside and out (literally). He knows their mannerisms, their moods, and what they are capable of doing at any given time. He makes his living chasing and playing with wild crocs.

Steve is more at home with his resident zoo crocs then you probably are with your dogs. He knew this croc wanted what Steve was feeding him, not to eat Steve and his baby.

I know a little about wild animals. I have personally worked with many different species over the years, and studied them through documentaries, books, articles, and college. The huge misconception that many people have is that wild animals are all out to get us. They all want to eat us poor humans.

The plain truth is, most animals do not consider us food. They mainly attack out of mistaken identity (such as thinking a surfer is a seal), protection of their young (many bear attacks), or because they are scared (trapped, or surprised animals). The croc in Steve’s zoo is well fed, and has been around humans enough to know that humans bring the food; they’re not the food.

Sure accidents can, and do, happen, but not this time. I was amused to see the media showing a home video of Steve’s wife saying how sometimes he throws caution to the wind. She was referring to his adventures in the wild and filming, not to his kids. This was an attempt by the press to make a story where there wasn’t one.

Many parents take their kids white-water rafting, mountain climbing, scuba diving, and a ton of other dangerous places. It’s what we do as human beings. We do things that can be a little exciting, and yes, even dangerous. It’s called sport.

Getting back to the video. You will notice that Steve had his baby cradled tightly behind him, with his body between the croc and his baby. Another point of interest, is that I saw at least one other handler there in the background, as well as Steve’s wife, Terri (Raines) Irwin, nearby. If that croc got froggy with Steve, he would have grabbed Steve, not his baby. At which time I’m sure a dozen handlers would have jumped in to intervene.

Was there a risk to the baby? Sure, but in the same manner that there is always a risk with our children no matter what we do. I think driving your children around in cars on the freeways are more dangerous then Steve exposing his kids to the animals.

This was not a publicity stunt. A publicity stunt is when someone plans to do something merely for the press of it. Steve is a happy father playing with his kids in front of the audience at his zoo, nothing more then that. What the heck does he need publicity for? He’s the king of his chosen field already!

Will animal experts get attacked? Yes, but that’s the risk they take. I have been bitten, clawed, and attacked on several occasions. It’s an excepted risk to do what you want to be doing.

Did Steve put his baby in harms way? Not hardly, and I wish the media would drop it. Anybody who is whining about this has no clue whatsoever about this situation.

It’s typical of people just getting on the bandwagon on a topic they know nothing about. Unless they are trained wild animal experts, are working with Steve at his zoo, and know this croc and this situation, they need to just shut-up.

Hey, let’s consult the worlds leading expert on crocodiles, Steve Irwin. Oh yes, we already did and he assures us that he was in complete control of the situation.

You know what, I know he’s right!

Steve, you scare the hell out of me watching some of the stuff you do, but this wasn’t one of them. Good luck to you!