So you want to know what the big deal is with the death of this Steve Irwin guy? What's all this boohooing over the crocodile hunter dude? Why is this one fellow suddenly all over the tele getting as much air time as Dubya or the British Prime Minister stepping down?

Okay, I'll tell ya, but so ya know, it's a lot to do with percentages. So break out the calculator, slide rule or take off your boots, (depending on how you calculate of course!) and follow me through the maze of television programs, zoos, animal refuges and habitats, documentaries, controversey, educational programs, research. Programs, and of course, the countless numbers of animals that Steve Irwin has personally saved along the way during his 44 years.

To begin to understand Steve, you must first understand what a real nature and animal lover is. An animal lover, a true, hardcore animal lover loves all animals. Period. A true animal lover is concerned about the safety, welfare and future of animals as a whole, not just a particular species or breed. A real animal lover does not "own" a single animal, but will gladly share their habitat with lifelong freinds. Sometimes that sharing is done without regard to their freinds size, and sometimes it is done with or without a landlord's prior approval.

A true true animal lover has such heartfelt convictions that they find it difficult if nompossible to visit an animal shelter. While you may think that makes no sense, as surely I would want to volunteer at such a place. The contrary would be true however.

To start with, I could not, no matter how badly I wanted to, adopt every dog, cat, horse, hamster, hedgehog or sugarglider that gets a red tag tied to it's cage. (A red tag indicates an animal that is scheduled for destruction) I cannot afford to, and if I could, I would have to quit work to care for them all. Its a terrible vicious circle.

The other reason is politics. Local governments usually run these operations, doing the hiring and firing of salaried management. They then mostly depend on the volunteer efforts of the local community, and college students, if one is nearby. The politics of these civil servants, while I can only assume is meant to be well intentioned, is uneducated and misguided to say the least. I could type pages on this subject.alone, but will give you but one heartbreaking example. A recent political disaster within my town was over the subject of the adoption policy of domestic animals. It was decided that only those who were adopting for "inside" animals would be allowed to complete the adoption process. Prospective adoptive "parents" wishing a pet that would spend any time outside at all. Including a farm environment, would be denied. Those animals that were not chosen for "inside" animals were destroyed. Even if the only prospectus was that of a partial outside nature. Many animals, including a beautiful Great Dane and a former rescued Greyhound were destroyed because, "Oh, he's just too big, we can't keep him or her in the house!"

Murder.

Okay, now the very last thing I want to do is offend anybody, but, if you have 12 cats living in your house, that's great. That alone doesn't however, make you an animal lover. Nor does not eating hamburgers, or not wearing a mink stove or even a leather.belt! Stuffing a twenty into a envelope to "save the whales" that you were going to buy two quarts of Ben & Jerry's with doesn't count either. I once shut down interstate 84 in New York state to allow a mother and her goslings to cross, but that act, in and of itself, didn't make me an animal lover. Once in the Ozark mountains I stopped at a roadside venue and happened to see a small dog locked in a car with the engine off and windows up. It was over 90 degrees that afternoon. The pup was obviously in distress, and was not far from death. The air that escaped that window when I broke it had to have been over 120. I scooped up the little pup and took him to my truck cab and began the process of slowly saving him. (You can't just shove cold water down them, they are like us, that would kill them, you have to lower the body temperature first) I stayed and confronted the owners of that car upon ther return, and was met with anger over the broken window. Only after some thirty minutes of yelling at me did they even think about that poor pup. When I wouldn't give him back, and made the phone call to the local authorities myself about the window, they were a tad confused, but actually happy that I was going to "confess" to the Sheriff my vandelism. I will admit to you I was gambling, but I was furious!

The Sheriff arrived and after listening to the couple describe how I vandelized their automobile, was ready to press charges against me. That's when I opened the door to my rig and scooped up the pup, held him up to the cop and asked him what was he going to do with the little guy? "Is he your dog?" The cop wanted to know. "No Sir! He is the reason I broke that window to start with." I explained, "He was going to die in there with no air, water or anything.". The big cop took that little dog into his hands, looked him over, saw how dull and hazy his eyes were, felt how hot he still was even after 45. Minutes of laying on my driver's seat with the A/C vent gently blowing over him. He wheeled around and asked the couple if this was their dog. They said yes, it was. He asked them if they locked him in a closed car. They said yes, they had. They shouldn't have said that I suppose.

The cop handed me the dog and reached for his handcuffs in one fluid movement. What he did next completely and utterly shocked that Indinapolis, Imdiana couple. He slapped those cuffs on them, not me, and informed them that they were under arrest for the self admitted crime of animal abuse.

They paid a huge fine, but I have no idea as to whether or not they served ttime, I doubt it. They did, however, lose the pup, as it was confiscated by the Sheriff, and I am sure is happy in his new home, the Sheriff's house.

As for me, I wasn't charged with anything, and was glad that things turned out the way they did.

There is something about animal people. Animal people do things that make absolutely no sense to anybody except other animal people. To summerize, and I will, because I have digressed beyond the original purpose of this entry, would be that the things that Steve Irwin did, he did because he wanted to. Even if he really didn't want to. That makes sense and I can prove it.

It is this writer's personal opinion that while obvious that Steve loved crocodiles, he loved all animals as much. He was the director of the Queesnsland Zoo! To save animals, from cruelty, extinction, sickness, loss of rain forrests, you need three things; determination, money, and access to people, lots of people.

Steve Irwin had more determination and love of animals, and the right kind of love, than any one person I know. He devoted his entire life to that one effort. While most of us where out partying on weekends, Steve was chasing something to save it, heal it, or study it so that he could help the rest of them. That's called devotion my freinds.

Now he needed money. I am sure that one main reason he did those outlandish stunts was because they brought in crowds, and crowds are people and people spend money. Money, that Steve invested into his programs to help animals.

Don't get me wrong, Steve was also an awesome educator as well! He loved to show people things about animals. His thinking was that the more people see, and think about these animals, the more likely it is that one or more of those children will grow up to be legislators, in Austrailia and all over the world. Steve thought globally about the rain forrest destruction and dissapearance of animal habitat.

In closing, it would be an uneducated person to judge him as a flashy show off without reason, because Steve Irwin had reasons. Lots of them, and now every one of those reasons won't have the "Crocdile Hunter" to look out for them anymore.

One last thing. I'm really tired of hearing how ironic that an animal killed him. You know what? Iorny would be him going any other way. Sure, given a choice we would all want more time, but if he knew he HAD to go, I'm sure he's happy going by doing what he loved doing most.

P.S. There is only one authorized donation sight that the funds will actually go to Terri Irwin, so that she can forward them to the family's chosen fund. It is accessible on Steve's Yahoo group. Anyone else saying they are collecting for Steve Irwin is lying. That information came from Terri Irwin as of 9/8/06.

Thanks for reading, and goodnight Diaryland., and my Mermaid.