Australia’s most loved wildlife expert Steve Irwin tragically died back in 2006, but the footage of his death has never aired.
Despite Irwin allegedly wanting the world to see the tape.
Scroll down for the full story.
Now Steve Irwin was, and still is, Australia’s national treasure.
The Aussie was best known for his hit TV show, The Crocodile Hunter, and he was a strong advocate for conservation and animal rights.
The Crocodile Hunter was famous for Steve’s unconventional approach to wildlife…
And the series aired sixty-four episodes during 5 seasons, from 1997 to 2004.
He clearly had a passion for conservation.
And Steve would go to great lengths, both on and off-camera, to protect Australia’s wildlife.
His love for all creatures was easy to see…
And this is what made the entire world love him so much.
In 1992, Steve married the love of his life.
Terri, an American-born author, and conservationist who now resides in Queensland, Australia.
Terri starred alongside Steve in The Crocodile Hunter…
And it was easy to see that the couple were made for each other.
Not long after, they started their family.
Bindi Irwin was born in 1998 and Robert Irwin was born in 2003 – and it has to be said, they made the cutest family.
Both Bindi and Robert showed the same passion as their dad…
And took on his work at such young ages.
Sadly, back in 2006, things took a turn for the worst…
Steve was filming in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for the documentary series Ocean’s Deadliest on the 4th of September when he was stung in the chest by a wild stingray barb during a snorkeling session.
It was soon clear that it was a deadly sting.
Whilst Steve believed he had only suffered a punctured lung, the stingray’s barb had actually pierced his heart, causing the conservationist to quickly lose consciousness.
He sadly died from his injuries.
“…Even if we’d been able to get him into an emergency ward at that moment we probably wouldn’t have been able to save him, because the damage to his heart was massive. As we’re motoring back I’m screaming at one of the other crew in the boat to put their hand over the wound and we’re saying to him things like, ‘Think of your kids, Steve, hang on, hang on.’ He just sort of calmly looked up at me and said, ‘I’m dying.’ And that was the last thing he said,” one of the underwater cameramen tragically recalled.
Once they got Steve back to the boat, the cameraman performed CPR on Steve for an hour…
But tragically he was pronounced dead by paramedics shortly after.
The news was devastating for all who knew and loved him…
And, of course, the family that he had left behind.
It has been difficult for Terri and their children to navigate this loss…
But over the years, Terri has raised her children to remember their father and they have all worked together to honor Steve’s legacy by continuing to care for animals at Australia Zoo.
Now years after Steve’s passing, they speak only of the fond memories they have…
And there are a lot of them!
Terri and Steve’s kids have grown up into inspiring adults…
Bindi is twenty-three and Robert is eighteen, and it is amazing to see the pair pursuing careers in conservation and zoology just like their father.
Robert is just like his father in many ways…
And he has made many appearances on American TV to promote Australia zoo and the work that he and his family do for wildlife.
He is a very busy eighteen-year-old…
And rather than spending his spare time going to parties and playing video games, Robert enjoys campaigning for conservation and animal rights, particularly for animals in Australia… just like his dad did.
But his latest near miss with a crocodile has left many appalled at his lack of respect for the animal in his recent video.
People are shocked at the level of “cruelty” shown by Robert…
Robert was seen trying to feed one of the crocs at the zoo, called Casper, when he was almost attacked…
Casper totally ignored all the food that was being used to distract him away from Robert and instead repeatedly tried to strike him.
This resulted in the keeper yelling “Bail, bail, bail!!!” which saw fellow keepers rush into the enclosure to help him.
Thankfully neither Robert nor Casper was hurt in the process!
Robert posted the video to Instagram, where he captioned it: “The finale of ‘Crikey! It’s the Irwins’ is on now, 8pm in the USA so go check it out!
“We’ve definitely saved the best for last, including one of the most intense croc feeds I’ve done! We prioritize natural behavior with our crocs. By getting in their enclosures with them, and letting them put on those huge strikes from the water’s edge, they get to use all of their predatory instincts and they just love it!”
He concluded: “Plus we can educate everyone about their conservation. But safety for us is also crucial and you definitely have to know when to call it. And with such a powerful and quick croc like Casper, we had no choice but to bail!”
But after he shared his post, many criticized the keeper for his actions, claiming he is “using animals as entertainment.”
Robert has since addressed these comments, talking with hosts Karl Stefanovic and Allison Langdon on Tuesday’s Today show.
“Everything always gets blown up and made a huge thing,” Robert said.
“For me it’s an adrenaline rush, it’s an exciting thing to do – but for me personally, I feel closest to my dad when I’m in there working with the animals he loved.”
Robert continued: “So many of our crocodiles are the originals, the ones we’ve worked with from day one. It’s an honor for me to continue that legacy.
“Yes they’re dangerous, but they’re amazing creatures, deserving of our respect.”
And recently a video of the late television personality went viral…
Which shows a man who witnessed the tragic death of Steve Irwin.
In the YouTube video, Dr. Jamie Seymour recalls seeing Irwin’s final moments…
And the events that had taken place before and after.
Seymour said he was initially approached about working on a film “looking at ocean’s deadliest.”
But when he found out the film was for Steve Irwin, he lost interest, as per reports.
And he didn’t end it just there…
“Steve’s an idiot, he’s a dead-set idiot. You know, there’s a drinking game that you watch when you watch his films, and every time he does something stupid, you’ve got to skull a beer,” he confessed.
“You can’t get through a 50-minute thing before you’re absolutely plastered,” he added.
After rejecting the film, Irwin decided to visit Seymour himself and attempted to persuade him to take on the offer.
But Seymour’s reply left him baffled.
“You do realize that people think you’re an absolute moron?” he said.
He also said to Steve that people only watched him “to see what you’re gonna do wrong.”
And it’s what Steve said next that’s made us super emotional…
“Gotcha! The moment I’ve got you whipped in to see whether I’m gonna do anything wrong, I can tell you anything. And you’re gonna remember it,” he said.
Seymour went on and said he gained “massive respect” for Steve as he realized he was prepared to “make a fool of himself to help conservation.”
Well, that’s what you call passion then, right?
And now, as it’s recently hit sixteen years since his tragic death, the question still remains, where is the footage?
According to biographer Tommy Donovan, Irwin’s death was caught on camera, and he believed the footage should have been shown to the world.
Donovan claimed Irwin told the “camera crew to always be filming,” even “If he needs help he will ask for it. Even if he is eaten by a shark or croc, the main thing he wants is that it be filmed. If he died he would be sad if no one got it on tape.”
However, a select few close to Irwin were granted permission to view the devastating footage. Irwin’s friend John Stainton revealed he was one of them.
He said, “It’s a very hard thing to watch because you’re actually witnessing somebody die.
“It shows that Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up and spiked him in the chest, and he pulled it out and the next minute he’s gone. That was it. The cameraman had to shut down.”
A decision was made by TV executives to refrain from putting the footage on air.
According to Superintendent Mike Keating who also viewed the footage along with the police at the time, “There is no evidence that Irwin was intimidating or threatening the stingray.”
President of Discovery Networks, Billy Campbell, said that the footage would only be released with his wife, Terri Irwin’s approval.
This news comes as Sunday, September 4 marked sixteen years since his death.
Rest in peace, Steve Irwin.