CROC HUNTER IRWIN holds baby a foot from crocs mouth. idiot!
Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2004 5:43 pm
Irwin a 'bloody idiot'
Catriona Mathewson
January 3, 2004
CROCODILE hunter Steve Irwin sparked outrage yesterday when he dangled his baby son a metre from the jaws of a crocodile as a publicity stunt at his wildlife park.
CHILD'S play or stupidity ... crocodile catcher Steve Irwin with his one-month-old son Bob feeds Murray the crocodile at his wildlife park yesterday. Picture taken from Channel 7 TV footage of the stunt which can be seen on Today Tonight's website http://www.todaytonight.com.au
Child advocates branded the Queenslander of the Year reckless for holding one-month-old son, Bob, under his arm while feeding the 4m crocodile a dead chicken during a show for the public and media at Australia Zoo.
Wife Terri looked on as Irwin then "walked" his son along the ground next to the crocodile pool as the reptile, Murray, lurked nearby.
Keith Cook, the owner of Cairns Crocodile Farm and an industry veteran of 18 years, called Irwin a Hollywood version of Daniel Boone. "I think he's a bloody idiot, he's addicted to the attention," he said.
Child support groups likened the stunt to pop star Michael Jackson dangling his nine-month-old son over a balcony in Germany in 2002.
Australian Family Association spokesman Bill Muehlenberg said Irwin's conduct was tantamount to child abuse.
He said Irwin had no right to put his baby in peril.
"Most parents would cringe at the sight of such things. One slip, one fall and he is the crocodile's lunch," he said.
"You have to wonder what his motive was. It's probably good for ratings but not very good for the baby."
Irwin faces an investigation by child protection officers and safety inspectors with the incident sparking numerous complaints to Sunshine Coast police and a Families Department crisis hotline.
Under Workplace Health and Safety laws unauthorised people cannot enter a crocodile enclosure which is part of a public display.
Within hours Families Minister Judy Spence had called for unedited video tapes and Workplace Health and Safety officers confirmed they would also examine the matter.
"I have seen the television footage and while I have no doubt the Irwins love their children very much, I believe it was an error of judgment to place a baby in a potentially dangerous situation," Ms Spence said.
Irwin seemed surprised people were shocked by the show – organised as a media opportunity to mark the arrival of elephants and for Tibetan nuns to bless baby Bob.
"If I had known it was going to cause a ruckus I would have thrown them (the media) out by their ears," he said. "I was in complete control of the crocodile. Robert was tucked right in my arm.
"It is far more dangerous to pack your kid up and go out on the road."
The show was billed as Bob's "croc-feeding debut".
"Good boy, Bob," Irwin said as Murray's jaws snapped shut on the food.
"He's one-month-old, so it's about time Bob got out there and did his first croc demo," Irwin told the crowd. Irwin's wife Terri backed the decision to include Bob.
"When I put him back in the pram he had big eyes and he was smiling and it was a wonderful sensory experience for him. He dug it," she said. Irwin said he took the "sting" out of the crocodile by luring him on to land.
"Once you get a fish out of water the game changes. I felt it was safe enough to take Bob in there," he said.
"I did the same with Bindi (the couple's five-year-old daughter) and no one said anything. My kids are going to grow up here at the zoo catching crocodiles so they have to be aware of what's around them at the earliest possible stage.
"It's very similar to the 'Do the Five – Stay Alive', Lawrie Lawrence's fantastic (learn to swim) campaign."
Catriona Mathewson
January 3, 2004
CROCODILE hunter Steve Irwin sparked outrage yesterday when he dangled his baby son a metre from the jaws of a crocodile as a publicity stunt at his wildlife park.
CHILD'S play or stupidity ... crocodile catcher Steve Irwin with his one-month-old son Bob feeds Murray the crocodile at his wildlife park yesterday. Picture taken from Channel 7 TV footage of the stunt which can be seen on Today Tonight's website http://www.todaytonight.com.au
Child advocates branded the Queenslander of the Year reckless for holding one-month-old son, Bob, under his arm while feeding the 4m crocodile a dead chicken during a show for the public and media at Australia Zoo.
Wife Terri looked on as Irwin then "walked" his son along the ground next to the crocodile pool as the reptile, Murray, lurked nearby.
Keith Cook, the owner of Cairns Crocodile Farm and an industry veteran of 18 years, called Irwin a Hollywood version of Daniel Boone. "I think he's a bloody idiot, he's addicted to the attention," he said.
Child support groups likened the stunt to pop star Michael Jackson dangling his nine-month-old son over a balcony in Germany in 2002.
Australian Family Association spokesman Bill Muehlenberg said Irwin's conduct was tantamount to child abuse.
He said Irwin had no right to put his baby in peril.
"Most parents would cringe at the sight of such things. One slip, one fall and he is the crocodile's lunch," he said.
"You have to wonder what his motive was. It's probably good for ratings but not very good for the baby."
Irwin faces an investigation by child protection officers and safety inspectors with the incident sparking numerous complaints to Sunshine Coast police and a Families Department crisis hotline.
Under Workplace Health and Safety laws unauthorised people cannot enter a crocodile enclosure which is part of a public display.
Within hours Families Minister Judy Spence had called for unedited video tapes and Workplace Health and Safety officers confirmed they would also examine the matter.
"I have seen the television footage and while I have no doubt the Irwins love their children very much, I believe it was an error of judgment to place a baby in a potentially dangerous situation," Ms Spence said.
Irwin seemed surprised people were shocked by the show – organised as a media opportunity to mark the arrival of elephants and for Tibetan nuns to bless baby Bob.
"If I had known it was going to cause a ruckus I would have thrown them (the media) out by their ears," he said. "I was in complete control of the crocodile. Robert was tucked right in my arm.
"It is far more dangerous to pack your kid up and go out on the road."
The show was billed as Bob's "croc-feeding debut".
"Good boy, Bob," Irwin said as Murray's jaws snapped shut on the food.
"He's one-month-old, so it's about time Bob got out there and did his first croc demo," Irwin told the crowd. Irwin's wife Terri backed the decision to include Bob.
"When I put him back in the pram he had big eyes and he was smiling and it was a wonderful sensory experience for him. He dug it," she said. Irwin said he took the "sting" out of the crocodile by luring him on to land.
"Once you get a fish out of water the game changes. I felt it was safe enough to take Bob in there," he said.
"I did the same with Bindi (the couple's five-year-old daughter) and no one said anything. My kids are going to grow up here at the zoo catching crocodiles so they have to be aware of what's around them at the earliest possible stage.
"It's very similar to the 'Do the Five – Stay Alive', Lawrie Lawrence's fantastic (learn to swim) campaign."
