Footage shows Irwin's death

2006-09-05 07:28

Cairns - Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin was videotaped pulling a poisonous stingray barb from his chest moments before losing consciousness forever, a witness said on Tuesday.

The tape of the final moments on Monday of the man known by TV audiences worldwide for his infectious enthusiasm in hosting wildlife programme The Crocodile Hunter has been secured by Queensland state police as evidence for a coroner's inquiry.

Irwin, 44, was snorkelling and shooting footage for a new wildlife project he was making with daughter Bindi, 8, for airing next year in the United States when he was fatally wounded off the north Queensland coast.

'Shocking' footage

Irwin's manager and producer John Stainton described the footage, which he had seen, as "shocking".

"It shows that Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him here (in the chest), and he pulled it out and the next minute he's gone," Stainton told reporters in Cairns, where Irwin's body was taken for a post-mortem.

"That was it. The cameraman had to shut down," Stainton said.

Stingray not intimidated

Queensland Police Superintendent Michael Keating said there was no evidence Irwin threatened or intimidated the stingray, a normally placid species that only deploys its poisonous tail spines as a defence, and "there are no suspicious circumstances in relation to the death".

Experts have speculated that the animal that killed Irwin probably felt trapped between the cameraman and the television star.

Sea posed threats he wasn't used to

Stainton said Irwin was in his element in the bush, but that he and Irwin had talked about the sea posing threats the star wasn't used to.

"If ever he was going to go, we always said it was going to be the ocean," Stainton said.

"On land he was agile, quick-thinking, quick-moving and the ocean puts another element there that you have no control over."

State funeral

Queensland state Premier Peter Beattie said Irwin, who he described as possibly the best known Australian in the world, would be afforded a state funeral if his family approved.

Irwin's American wife Terri and his children Bindi Sue and son Bob returned to Australia Zoo, the wildlife park where they lived at Beerwah in Queensland's southeast, flying back on Monday night from a trekking vacation in Tasmania state in a private jet.

At the park, hundreds of people filed past the entrance laying floral bouquets and handwritten condolence messages. Khaki shirts - a trademark of Irwin - were laid out for people to sign.

- AP