Steve Irwin was an inspiration, not a wildlife pornographer

By Marty Essen

During the past few weeks, pundits from around the globe have been capitalizing on the fact that Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter, died while getting close to an animal. Some of these pundits have been almost gleeful in their "I told you so" commentaries. Nothing beats kicking a man when he's down-or dead.

Yes, the critics are correct that he sometimes got too close to animals and often teased them into action, but it's important to look at the big picture. Irwin was a showman who did what he did because of his love for animals and his desire to educate people about protecting them. If his television show wasn't exciting, no one would have watched it, and he couldn't have used his popularity to promote conservation.

When a critic called Irwin a "wildlife pornographer," I wondered if he'd call me the same thing. While working on my new book, I swam with piranhas, viewed vampire bats from inches away, caught a huge python, stood in the midst of a pack of wolves, and survived a hippo attack. Did those events make my book more exciting? Absolutely!

More importantly, I treated the animals with respect, and, as Irwin did, I used my close encounters as educational tools. Swimming with piranhas helped me demonstrate that the fish would rather eat fins of other fish than parts of my body. The vampire bats allowed for a discussion on the value of bats and the life-saving drug Draculin (which is derived from vampire bat saliva). Catching the python provided an example of how snakes will go out of their way to avoid a confrontation. Standing among wolves debunked the myth of wolf attacks on humans. And the hippo attack showed just how powerful wild animals can be.

Shows that profit from the degradation or injury of animals can rightly be called "wildlife pornography." To the best of my knowledge, Irwin didn't injure any animals, and he definitely didn't degrade them. With his trademark phrase, "Isn't she a beauty!" he got millions of people to appreciate animals they wouldn't have appreciated otherwise.

I've seen first hand the positive impact of Irwin's shows. Before finishing my book, I began visiting schools to show slides of the cool creatures I had photographed all over the world. The students' enthusiasm for the animals was heartening, and when they compared me to Irwin, I knew he played a big part in their thirst to learn about nature.

Now that Cool Creatures, Hot Planet has been published, I've started presenting my slide show in bookstores. At a recent presentation, I was surprised by the number of children in my audience. More surprising was that the children's questions were as intelligent as the adults' were. In fact, a ten-year-old even used the word "Macropodidae" in a sentence!

Let's compare the knowledge of that ten-year-old-who was obviously inspired by Irwin and others like him-to the ignorance of a certain law enforcement officer. Several years ago, I read an article about a rattlesnake the officer had removed from a yard. When I followed up with the officer to find out if he had successfully relocated the snake, he responded, "I skinned it." After I told him what I thought of his actions, he said, "I'm gonna go out and kill ten more rattlesnakes, just for you!"

That officer likely had no knowledge of the good rattlesnakes do for farmers, by keeping the rodent population down. Perhaps if he had watched The Crocodile Hunter, he would have reacted differently. I know one thing for sure: the snake would have much rather dealt with Irwin.

Editor's note: Marty Essen is the author of the book "Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents." For more information, contact: Marty Essen, 1572 Blue Lupine Lane, Victor, MT 59875 (406) 642-3333; Marty@CoolCreaturesHotPlanet.com.