Healthwatch: Robert Irwin, Steve's son
Rob Cibik
BEERWAH, Australia, Feb. 19, 2008 (UPI) -- The 4-year-old son of late
Australian wildlife conservationist and TV star Steve Irwin has been
bitten by a non-venomous snake, a report said.
The Mirror newspaper in Britain said Terri Irwin, Steve Irwin's widow,
confirmed their son, Robert, was nipped by a boa constrictor.
"He picked one of them up and it bit him on the finger. He was so
proud to have copped his first hit. He said, 'I hope it wasn't
venomous,' so I assured him I wouldn't let him play with venomous
ones," Terri Irwin said, adding Robert's big sister, Bindi, was first
bitten by a snake when she was 18 months old.
Steve Irwin, known as the "Crocodile Hunter," died in 2006 at the age
of 44 when he was pierced in the heart by the barb of a stingray while
snorkeling at Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Entertainment/2008/02/19/steve_irwins_son_4_bitten_by_snake/3545/
Charlene
> "He picked one of them up and it bit him on the finger. He was so
> proud to have copped his first hit. He said, 'I hope it wasn't
> venomous,' so I assured him I wouldn't let him play with venomous
> ones," Terri Irwin said, adding Robert's big sister, Bindi, was first
> bitten by a snake when she was 18 months old.
Do these people live in a different world than I do or what?
wd43
Apairateef
"Charlene" <charlene...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:2357d41f-e4a9-4174...@e6g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
If all of that report was correct...the woman is fricken nuts and even
allowing the kid to play with a boa constrictor....i liken that to child
abuse.. and yeah....the Irwins do live in a different world... LA LA land
it's called... I've always thought that
Sarndra, Auckland, New Zealand
www.sarndra.com
A man finds room in the few square inches
of the face for the traits of all his ancestors;
for the expression of all his history, and his
wants.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
Dave Sill
>
> If all of that report was correct...the woman is fricken nuts and even
> allowing the kid to play with a boa constrictor....i liken that to child
> abuse.. and yeah....the Irwins do live in a different world... LA LA land
> it's called... I've always thought that
I didn't read the report, so I don't know if it says how big the snake
was, but not all boas are automatically deadly. And with adult
supervision, even potentially dangerous snakes can be safely handled by
children.
--
Dave Sill
R H Draney
But the important misconception to clear up is that anything with teeth can bite
you, even it's not venomous...(and if I had no arms or legs and something tried
to pick me up and play with me, that'd be my first impulse)....r
--
What good is being an executive if you never get to execute anyone?
Dave Sill
>
> But the important misconception to clear up is that anything with teeth can bite
> you, even it's not venomous...
Is it? Who's got that misconception? Really, anything with a mouth that
can close can bite--teeth are optional. Have you ever seen the teeth on
a boa? They're tiny. There are many toothed animals whose bites are not
dangerous or painful. And few toothless ones you really want to avoid.
> (and if I had no arms or legs and something tried
> to pick me up and play with me, that'd be my first impulse)....r
Snakes aren't handicapped, they're differently-abled. When you pick one
up, I don't think its first thought is "Shit, I don't have any arms or
legs! What am I gonna do?" Based on years of handling various species of
snakes, both captive-bred and wild, their first thoughts seems to be
more like either "I'm cool" or "I'm scared. How can I get away?" If a
snake really doesn't want to be handled, it'll generally let you know
before you pick it up by (1) trying to escape, (2) warning you, e.g., by
"rattling" its tail, and, if it's cornered and you persist, as a last
resort, (3) biting.
--
Dave Sill
John M.
Just like a lawyer, eh?
--
John M.
charley
> "Charlene" <charlene.vick...@gmail.com> wrote in message
maybe they should take the kids away from mom.
Stacia
> R H Draney wrote:
>
> > But the important misconception to clear up is that anything with teeth can bite
> > you, even it's not venomous...
>
> Is it? Who's got that misconception? Really, anything with a mouth that
> can close can bite--teeth are optional. Have you ever seen the teeth on
> a boa? They're tiny. There are many toothed animals whose bites are not
> dangerous or painful.
I don't think it's ever a good idea to let a small child be bitten
by anything, whether the teeth are "tiny" or not. It's not a matter
of the snake being poisonous, it's a matter of infection. And even
small teeth can rip and tear and cause a large wound, especially if
the animal is scared, and I suspect an inexperienced 4-year-old would
scare almost any animal. Adult supervision (as you reference in an
earlier post) doesn't excuse this - an adult shouldn't be letting
their 4-year-old child handle an animal which could bite them.
I can't believe we're arguing about this.
Stacia
R H Draney
>
>R H Draney wrote:
>>
>>But the important misconception to clear up is that anything with teeth can bite
>> you, even it's not venomous...
>
>Is it? Who's got that misconception? Really, anything with a mouth that
>can close can bite--teeth are optional. Have you ever seen the teeth on
>a boa? They're tiny. There are many toothed animals whose bites are not
>dangerous or painful. And few toothless ones you really want to avoid.
My bad...blame incomplete editing as I went to rephrase the original form of
that comment....
>> (and if I had no arms or legs and something tried
>> to pick me up and play with me, that'd be my first impulse)....r
>
>Snakes aren't handicapped, they're differently-abled. When you pick one
>up, I don't think its first thought is "Shit, I don't have any arms or
>legs! What am I gonna do?" Based on years of handling various species of
>snakes, both captive-bred and wild, their first thoughts seems to be
>more like either "I'm cool" or "I'm scared. How can I get away?" If a
>snake really doesn't want to be handled, it'll generally let you know
>before you pick it up by (1) trying to escape, (2) warning you, e.g., by
>"rattling" its tail, and, if it's cornered and you persist, as a last
>resort, (3) biting.
I doubt that most snakes stop to consider that they have no limbs at such
times...what thought process there is most likely takes the form "hey, cut that
out...how do I make him stop?"....r
mack
"charley" <varr...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:17d92df3-9d6b-47b1...@72g2000hsu.googlegroups.com...
sounds harsh, but if I were a judge and a woman came before me and faced
testimony that she had allowed both her children to be bitten by snakes
(venomous or not) by the age of four, I'd think twice about letting her keep
them unsupervised.
GRAVEDIGGER69
Another Mother of the Year finalist?
charley
> "charley" <varric...@aol.com> wrote in message
yes very much i agree w/you.
Invisible Lurker
> "Charlene" <charlene...@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:2357d41f-e4a9-4174...@e6g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
>> On Feb 19, 11:00 am, Rob Cibik <lcp...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> "He picked one of them up and it bit him on the finger. He was so
>>> proud to have copped his first hit. He said, 'I hope it wasn't
>>> venomous,' so I assured him I wouldn't let him play with venomous
>>> ones," Terri Irwin said, adding Robert's big sister, Bindi, was
>>> first bitten by a snake when she was 18 months old.
>>
>> Do these people live in a different world than I do or what?
>
> If all of that report was correct...the woman is fricken nuts and even
> allowing the kid to play with a boa constrictor....i liken that to
> child abuse.. and yeah....the Irwins do live in a different world...
> LA LA land it's called... I've always thought that
Wait until they have Bindi milking a Musk Ox live
on TV!
--
Invisible Lurker
Really Not Here or There, Either
Apairateef
"Dave Sill" <da...@sill.org> wrote in message
news:13rmbsm...@corp.supernews.com...
This is true...however i can't help thinking the kids (as in the past) are
used as props for the shows.
Sarns
teleflora
> was, but not all boas are automatically deadly. And with adult
> supervision, even potentially dangerous snakes can be safely handled by
> children.
>
No! No, they can't.
Cindy