...You can take down the photo of the asinine Crocodile Hunter now. It is the first thing that greets me every morning - and in this fast-paced world, the story of his asininity is growing cold.
Why are we shocked that a CROCODILE HUNTER would be reckless and stupid? Why do we find it hard to comprehend that a CROCODILE HUNTER is, in actuality, a total freakin' maniac?
Is it shocking to hear that a man who wrestles with "GIANT CROCS" in his free time is unable to compartmentalize? Is unable to say to himself or his stupid friends:
"All righty then - when I'm out with dangerous crocs - I'm gonna be FEARLESS, mate, FEARLESS - reckless and wild! And when I'm at home with me kids - I'm gonna be cautious and gentle as a lamb."
Mike Toole captions the photo with an inner monologue from the croc hunter himself.
But still: Yahoo - aren't there other more pressing newsworthy issues right now?
India and Pakistan?
The photos from Mars?
Martha's trial?
Britney's weddingannulment?
Anything?
I agree. If the croc had been able to actually grab the baby, now that would be news.
Posted by: Pat at January 6, 2004 01:58 PMReminds me of "The dingo ate my baby"
Posted by: red at January 6, 2004 02:14 PMI'd be pissed if I was a croc and somebody dangled a juicey baby in front of me. Someone should call PETA.
Posted by: Pat at January 6, 2004 02:29 PMThere is at least some rationale for a crocodile hunter to want to condition his child to being around crocodiles. I'm sure that the guy and his wife feel the kid was in no danger. Maybe he wasn't, but the really stupid part of this episode was having it filmed. If they failed to anticipate that such a film would cause a furor in the general public, well, then their judgement certainly is suspect. If they just did it as a publicity stunt, then they're both reckless and dumber than dirt...
Posted by: MikeR at January 6, 2004 03:30 PMBut crocodiles are savage wild beasts that you want to run away from, not run towards. Croc Hunter chooses to put himself in harm's way. That's fine. Plenty of people do wild and crazy things that could kill them.
But the rest of the world (except for people in Florida who have to live side by side with them) chooses to run for their lives.
The best advice to anybody in terms of crocodiles is:
RUN. IF YOU SEE IT OPEN ITS MOUTH WIDE - RUN!
In my opinion, being "crocodile savvy" means: knowing how to avoid them like the plague.
Posted by: red at January 6, 2004 03:33 PMYou mean the guy who said of a Croc "she wants to kill me, but I still love her" might do something reckless?
If you want a surreal experience, you should have seen his World War II special focusing on the Pacific campaign. He has a good knowledge of history, but he describes the relics on the islands in the same way he talks about crocs.
Posted by: Bill McCabe at January 6, 2004 03:45 PM"In my opinion, being "crocodile savvy" means: knowing how to avoid them like the plague."
I'm with you on that one, red!
However, obviously this guy sees interacting with crocodiles as part of his lifestyle. Having been a participant in what some people consider an extreme sport that they would like to see banned, I can kindasorta almost understand where he's coming from.
Except for the putting it on television part - that seems to imply either incredible naivete, shameful exploitation, or both.
Forgot to mention - Florida has alligators, which are smaller and less aggressive than crocodiles.
I think there are also a small number of American crocodiles in Florida (it may be an endangered species), but they are supposedly far less aggressive than the Australian and African species.
Posted by: MikeR at January 7, 2004 12:07 AMMike - I do not know the difference between an alligator and a crocodile, except for the fact that they have different names.
Alligators seem ferocious, too. I would freak if I saw one.
I'm not inclined to go get chummy with an alligator myself, red. But they are much less aggressive than crocodiles, and usually don't bother humans on land. I know there are golf courses in Florida where alligators live in the lakes. If you tried that with African crocodiles, you'd probably lose a few golfers every day. They come tearing out of the water and snatch people. In parts of the Third World where folks have to go to the river to wash their clothes, a fairly significant number of people do still get eaten.
I think the main physical difference is that crocodiles are somewhat larger and have a longer, narrower snout than alligators.
Posted by: MikeR at January 7, 2004 12:55 PMMikeR -
I absolutely knew in my heart that you would come back with an explanation of the difference. I just KNEW it. Thank you!!
Posted by: red at January 7, 2004 12:59 PMWe aim to please...
Posted by: MikeR at January 8, 2004 03:03 AM