In the past 9 days, I engaged in a trip called One
Fish Two Fish through the Extreme Adventures program. 'Extreme' doesn't
even give justice to the craziness I experienced during this time. The
next few blog posts will help to describe some of the wild activities I
participated in but I would like to start with the first day of the trip and
one of the most amazing at that.
Day 1 dedicated the morning to a trip visiting the
Australia Zoo. This is the zoo created and sustained by the Irwin family.
Yes, Steve Irwin and his family have created this zoo for pleasure and
knowledge seekers with an interest in life of the wild. As a child, I was
convinced that I would marry Steve Irwin. Call me crazy, but he was the perfect
person. His television show was my favorite that consumed most of my
childhood. I was completely in love with his fearless excursions and only
prayed to be like him when I got older. Steve Irwin and his adventures
were a core reason that, as a child, I set the goal to live the rest of my life
in Australia. When Terri came into the picture, I knew my chances of
marrying him were slim to none seen as her thirst for adventure matched his.
Anyway, the fact that I was finally able to walk the grounds the Irwin
family did made this day one of the best thus far on my entire trip.
There was not one section of the entire
zoo where you couldn't find a memorial, picture or dedication to Steve Irwin
himself. Everywhere I looked I could find his inspiring face of
enthusiasm. Steve Irwin's death was a tragedy and huge loss for not only
the Australian world of wildlife awareness but for the world as a whole.
On September 4th of 2006, Steve was
exploring and snorkeling in shallow waters of the Great Barrier Reef. He was shooting
a new documentary of some of the ocean's deadliest creatures. Fitting his
normal character, Steve pressed his luck with the creatures he was finding,
trying to get ‘up close and personal’ in the process. A stingray said to be
about 8 feet in diameter became defensive as Steve entered his personal
space. In little to no time, the
stingray reacted and began to repeatedly strike Steve with his tail spine.
What he believed was a punctured lung soon turned into a pierced heart.
Although many efforts of CPR and wound compression were taken, it was at
a loss. Steve Irwin was known for his
remarkable passion for knowledge and dedication to conserving the environment.
This zoo is an incredible chance for his legacy to live on forever.
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