Death of Steve Irwin

On 4 September 2006, Australian zookeeper, conservationist, and television programmer Steve Irwin was killed by a stingray while filming in the Great Barrier Reef. The stingray's barb pierced his chest, penetrating his thoracic wall and heart, causing massive trauma.^[1][2] He was at Batt Reef, near Port Douglas, Queensland, taking part in the production of an underwater documentary Ocean's Deadliest. During a lull in filming caused by inclement weather, Irwin decided to snorkel in shallow waters while being filmed in an effort to provide footage for his daughter Bindi's television program.

Irwin's death is the only fatality from a stingray captured on video, although it has not been released to the public, and is one of the few human deaths from stingrays.^[3][4][5][6] Production of the documentary was completed and was broadcast on the Discovery Channel four months after Irwin's death. The documentary was completed with footage shot in the weeks following the accident, but without including any mention of Irwin's death,^[7][8] aside from a tribute to Irwin at the end.