The Passing Of Jeff Corwin

Who would've thought that the Crocodile Hunter would have gone down to anything but a crocodile finally having had enough of his antics and deciding to snap the good-natured Aussie in half. Corwin died last week from a stingray barb to the heart while filming "Oceans' Deadliest" which, from the title alone, you'd think would require a certain amount of caution. Corwin's avuncular good-guy persona was also a bit of a show-off and constantly trod the line between animal science and stunt show tomfoolery.

Would people have tuned into "Animal Planet" without Corwin's personality and hard work? Have these same viewers, his audience of millions, learned something about animals and the planet that they will use to, say, save the planet? Was his show about an outdoorsy Aussie wrestling crocs or was it science? Was Corwin completely unable to tell the difference? I mean, after all, this is the guy who nearly 3 years ago held his infant son in one arm while feeding a fucking crocodile chicken with the other. That is just plain fucking stupid. Maybe this stupid streak was wider than we expected.

Either way, Corwin's passing is noted with sadness. I was always uncomfortable with Corwin's propensity for molesting animals in the wild and getting right up in their grills with no safety gear. To me it always seemed to be about Corwin, not the animals, which is probably the exact opposite effect he was hoping for. Like that psycho in "Grizzly Man," you knew a bad ending was around the corner anyone who starts thinking these wild, dangerous animals are cuddly toys.

Hopefully Corwin's legacy will be one of conservation and environmentalism.