I didn't know that Steve Irwin's funeral was telecast live on TV until D told me but even if I did, I wasn't going to watch anyway. I'm not a big fan. I didn't even think he was so big in Oz, I thought it was American TV that made him.
No disrespect to the dead. My condolences go to his widow and especially his young children. I know he did a lot for conservation and was passionate about his animals but I'm just not enarmoured of his approach. It's so invasive. To the animals that he grappled and to the audience. I'm sure he really cared for the animals but I'm quite appalled by the way he manhandled them and I think that shows a lack of respect for them as individuals.
Watch, don't touch was a big mantra when I used to dive. And it goes for land animals too. At the back of my head, I have a mental image of a croc high-fiving a sting ray. Sorry but I'm with Germaine Greer on this one:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/australia/story/0,,1865124,00.html
A picture on the BBC News website shows his staff at Australia Zoo lined up in an honour guard. They were carrying koalas, and there was a croc among the line of koalas. The koalas next to the croc were eyeing it in consternation. If they'd respected the koalas, they wouldn't stick a croc in there amongst them. Even if it's a juvenile croc and the koalas had bigger claws. Just because an animal lets you carry it doesn't mean it's yours to do what you want with, you still need to respect its point of view even if you're in control of the situation.
Which is why I don't really like how HRH sometimes gets carried about like a little stuffed toy. Oh, she'll let you if she knows you well enough, she likes the attention. But just because she's cute and small doesn't mean she's a live cuddly toy. She's really boils down to a small wolf in our midst.
Which will undoubtedly surface this weekend. It's set. Rupert moves in on Saturday.
2 comments:
Hey ... I never thought of him that way ... being disrespectful of animals. I got carried away by his showmanship and larger-than-life personality
All I can say is at least he did a lot of good too: he's apparently bought tracts of land in various countries all over the world, for nature reserves.
I didn't see the memorial, but I got a note from a friend in Australia, who never thought much about him. This is what she had to say:
Thought I would drop you line to see if you watched the Steve Irwin tribute which was shown around the world this morning. I sat there and bawled my eyes out as it was one of the nicest tributes I have seen. Very aussie and very much typical of the man. Strange but I think people over here through his death now realise how big a personalty he actually was. Very moving, especially when his little daughter got up and gave her speech, so full of confidence that I doubt she understands the significance of it all, but still when she does get older at least they will have all his TV shows and understand what sort of caring person he was.
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