Stingray ends Steve Irwin’s Crocodile Hunting Days

After more than a decade of dancing with death as he handled countless dangerous creatures, Steve Irwin, known the world over as The Crocodile Hunter, was killed Monday by a creature statistically less dangerous than the thousands of crocodiles and venomous snakes that have taken a bite at him in the past.

Time.com reports that a stingray killed Irwin while shooting a segment for a special called “Ocean’s Deadliest”. A colleague said Irwin swam too close to a startled stingray which instinctively whipped its tail, which has a poisonous barb, and pierced The Crocodile Hunter’s heart.

Irwin’s death is a great loss. One of the most popular, enthusiastic and hardcore wildlife conservationists of all time, The Crocodile Hunter, his daredevil feats, his think Australian accent and his trademark catchword, Crikey!, will surely be missed. But news of his death surely isn’t a shocking or even a surprising one.

With the way he dealt with the world’s most dangerous animals, it’s even a wonder that Irwin reached the age of 44. As he himself claims, he’s been bitten a thousand times. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that with his line of work, death is no longer a question of how, but when.

Irwin died doing what he loves. It’s a cliché, I know, but nothing best describes what happened to the guy. For all intents and purposes, he died a good death. And I’m pretty sure The Crocodile Hunter won’t have it any other way.