Steve Irwin, the Australian zookeeper, conservationist, and television personality known as "The Crocodile Hunter," died on September 4, 2006. He was fatally injured by a stingray while filming an underwater documentary called Ocean's Deadliest at Batt Reef near Port Douglas, Queensland, in the Great Barrier Reef. The stingray's barb pierced his chest, penetrating his thoracic wall and heart, causing massive trauma and immediate cardiac arrest
. Irwin was snorkeling in shallow water during a break in filming when the stingray suddenly attacked, possibly mistaking his shadow for a predator like a tiger shark. The stingray stabbed him multiple times with its tail. Despite efforts by the crew to perform CPR and rush him to medical personnel on a nearby island, Irwin was pronounced dead at the scene
. His death was widely mourned around the world, and he was buried in a private ceremony at Australia Zoo. A public memorial was held later, watched by millions globally. The incident is notable as one of the very few fatal stingray attacks recorded and the only one captured on video, though footage of the actual attack has not been released to the public
. Irwin left behind his wife Terri and their two children, Bindi and Robert, and his legacy continues through their conservation work and the Australia Zoo
