Dawn Brancheau (Partially Found Death Footage 2010) Steve Irwin (Lost Death footage, 2006) Christine Chubbuck (Partially Found On Air Suicide Recorded in 1974) Timothy Treadwell 'Grizzly Man' (Lost Death Audio 2003) Issei Sagawa 'The Japanese Cannibal' (lost Renee Hartevelt death footage 1981). ‘Crocodile Hunter’ cameraman: Footage of Steve Irwin death is private By Rene Lynch March 10, 2014 1:12 PM PT. The last-remaining footage of Steve Irwin's final moments has emerged - with the 'Crocodile Hunter' giving a poignant 'OK' sign hours before an eight foot-wide stingray killed him.

The cameraman who filmed the death of Steve Irwin has revealed how the Australian 'Crocodile Hunter' was stabbed '100 times' by a stingray within seconds.

More than 12 years after Steve Irwin’s brutal death, fans are still wondering what happened to the video showing how he died. 4, 2006, The Crocodile Hunter star was stabbed by a stingray.

Irwin, famous for his daring stunts with dangerous animals, was filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland in 2006 when he died.

Justin Lyons was shooting the footage with the 44-year-old TV personality and conservationist when the pair came across an 8ft-wide stingray in chest-high waters.

Speaking for the first time about Irwin's death, Mr Lyons told of how the final shot was to be of the flat marine fish swimming away from Irwin when it all went tragically wrong.

The pair had just left their main boat in an inflatable to find something to film when they spotted the stingray.

'I had the camera on, I thought this is going to be a great shot, and all of sudden it propped on its front and started stabbing wildly, hundreds of strikes in a few seconds,' Mr Lyons told Australia's Channel Ten.

'I panned with the camera as the stingray swam away and I didn't know it had caused any damage. It was only when I panned the camera back that I saw Steve standing in a huge pool of blood that I realised something had gone wrong.'

Stingrays have several sharp and venomous barbs on their tails that they use to defend themselves when they feel threatened.

Mr Lyons denied reports that a barb had stuck in Irwin's chest and he pulled it out.

'It's a jagged barb and it went through his chest like a hot knife through butter,' he said.

'He had a two-inch-wide injury over his heart with blood and fluid coming out of it and we had to get him back to the boat as fast as we can.

'I was saying to him things like 'think of your kids Steve, hang on, hang on, hang on', and he calmly looked up at me and said 'I'm dying' and that was the last thing he said.'

Footage of the tragic death was later handed to Irwin's widow Terri and has never been aired.

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When you think of TV personalities who have a passion for animals, the first person who is bound to come to mind is the legendary Steve Irwin. The late, great conservationist, often referred to as “The Crocodile Hunter” had a love for wildlife pumping through his blood. Coming from a family of animal lovers, his parents, Lyn and Bob, established their own zoo when Steve was just a boy. In one of his last interviews, Irwin revealed something that no one could have anticipated. Irwin confessed that there was one thing he would never do, and for a very good reason. Join us as we explore the life and times of Steve Irwin and reveal the unexpected confession he made about his career.

Steve Irwin’s superstar status was built from his obsession with getting up-close and personal with the wildest animals.

Sadly, it was his deepest passion that ultimately cost him his life. Yet, there was one creature that he was hell-bent on staying away from…

Steve Irwin didn’t get the nickname “Crocodile Hunter” for no reason whatsoever. From day one, he couldn’t get enough of the wildlife that graced his home country, Australia. It certainly helped that his parents, Bob and Lyn Irwin, were the owners of a zoo by the name of Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park.

It made sense then that young Steve felt so comfortable around large lizards and developed such a deep affinity towards them. He was determined to protect them.

It wouldn’t take long before Steve was at the center of his parents’ operation. There was nothing more he wanted to do than to assist his family and work with animals. Initially apprehensive, his parents decided to ease Steve into the job, allowing him to do maintenance work and feed certain animals.

Then, at 6 years old, Steve was blessed with the most peculiar birthday present: a scrub python that was 12 feet long. It was bigger than him!

It was safe to say that young Steve Irwin had a very different upbringing compared to other kids. Steve’s friends were the wildest of the wild. From the age of nine, Irwin was in close contact with reptiles, under supervision from his father.

He made sure to always accompany Steve until he knew enough about the beasts. Then, on one special day, young Steve went behind his dad’s back and decided to wrestle a crocodile!

Irwin was fearless from day one, and with time, he developed the skills necessary to care for such wild animals. He was becoming a mature asset in his parents’ company. However, he never lost the fun of the job, continuing to wrestle with the crocodiles, albeit in an amicable way.

At Queensland’s East Coast Crocodile Management, he got the chance to bring in over 100 crocodiles, which Irwin distributed between his parents’ zoo and others in the region. Then, something big happened…

Irwin’s parents were so confident in his abilities that they gave him the role of park manager. It was in 1991, the same year that Irwin met his future wife, Terri Raines. Also a lover of animals, Oregon naturalist Raines was traveling around the region, visiting various animal institutions and eventually ended up at Irwin’s zoo.

“I thought there was no one like this anywhere in the world,” Terri said. “He sounded like an environmental Tarzan, a larger-than-life superhero guy.”

Irwin and Raines hit it off and after just a year of knowing each other, the pair tied the knot on June 4, 1992. Together, the couple had dreams of working together and had quite a unique honeymoon to start things off.

Instead of going to an exotic beach resort, the couple did what they did best, catching crocodiles! It was obvious that they were perfect for each other. Funnily enough, it was footage from their honeymoon that changed everything for Steve Irwin…

Just like honeymoon they had embarked on, Steve’s marriage proposal was pretty extraordinary. “We worked in the zoo, and we were cutting down this widow-maker tree that had been hit by lightning and had to come down,” Terri said.

“It took us a day. We were absolutely exhausted. I’ve got leaves in my hair, I’m sweating, and we’re sitting there at the end of the day and I’m thinking, ‘My back is killing me.’ Steve says, ‘So what do you reckon, you want to get married?'”

Another peculiar thing about the early stages of Steve and Terri’s relationship was the fact they brought someone along for the honeymoon. John Stainton was invited to video the couple as they caught crocodiles.

As Irwin was so impressed with Stainton’s work, he decided to use the footage as the basis for the pilot of his TV show, The Crocodile Hunter. This was the move that changed everything for Irwin, showing his work to millions.

The Crocodile Hunter‘s pilot aired in 1996 in Austalia. However, it wouldn’t take long before the show could be seen all over the world. Irwin was best remembered for his catchphrase “Crikey!’ whenever he spotted something spectacular.

His passion and enthusiasm attracted millions of viewers, particularly in North America. The show was lightning in a bottle and was the perfect combination of wildlife education, tons of gripping footage and a depiction of nature in all its glory.

It wasn’t just The Crocodile Hunter that Irwin and Raines benefited from. Animal Planet decided to create a series of spinoffs on the back of its success. The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course was unique in that it saw the duo daringly trying to save crocodiles from organizations such as the CIA.

However, that wasn’t all. Another spin-off was Croc Files, which was aimed at kids, and Crocodile Hunter Diaries, which aimed to shed light on Steve’s family.

It turns out that Steve’s kids would take after him when it came to wrestling with wildlife. It made sense that these children would spend time with wild creatures from day one. The family spinoff show gradually brought Bindi and Robert onto the forefront of the show.

Irwin’s love for animals is so deep that he even named one of their kids after two of his favorite animals. The name Bindi is a combination of the animals Bindi and Sui, a saltwater crocodile and a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, respectively.

In order to stand up against such fierce creatures, Steve Irwin needed to be in top physical shape. Believe it or not, wrestling with crocodiles is no easy feat. As a result, Irwin learned from MMA trainer Greg Jackson.

He taught him a form of MMA called Gaidojutsu. Naturally, due to his Aussie roots, Irwin was also a huge fan of rugby, one of the national sports No one was surprised then when he tackled one of the Brisbane Broncos.

Despite Irwin’s obvious success on a global scale, it didn’t come without its fair share of criticism. Many were opposed to the way that Irwin would handle animals and thought that he was being too aggressive.

He was accused of exploiting animals on his show, but that wasn’t all. In 2004, Irwin was accused of child endangerment after shooting a scene of himself feeding a crocodile while he was carrying his baby boy, Robert. He was adamant that he wasn’t putting his son at risk.

Irwin was at the top of his game when it all came crashing down. While he was shooting the show Ocean’s Deadliest, production needed to stop due to weather issues. As a result, Irwin decided to shoot footage for his daughter’s show instead, Bindi the Jungle Girl.

It was September 4th, 2006, when Irwin decided to film himself snorkeling in the water. It seemed like standard procedure when he encountered a familiar creature. However, things went bad very fast.

Wearing a snorkel and fins, Irwin was as prepared as he ever had been. He had done this a million times before and eventually came across a stingray that was nearly seven feet. Steve was trying to film the ray swimming the other way, but after getting too close, things took a turn for the worst.

Feeling threatened by Irwin’s presence, the ray took it’s barbed tail and stung him with it. The sting went straight through his heart, and Irwin ended up bleeding to death.

The news broke millions of hearts in an instant. The amount of grief that people felt was a testament to the impact Steve Irwin had left on pop culture in general. John Howard, who was the Prime Minister of Australia at the time, gave his condolences.

“I really do feel Australia has lost a wonderful and colorful son,” he said. “He took risks [and] enjoyed life. He brought immense joy to millions of people, particularly to children.”

Despite the fact that Irwin’s death was captured on the camera that Justin Lyons was using at the time, he made sure that it was never shared with the public. After he gave the footage to a heartbroken Terri, she immediately decided to destroy the tape as she never wanted to see it again.

Lyons completely agreed with her decision, but she allowed him to tell the public exactly what happened in press releases.

In a sad twist of irony, the thing that Steve Irwin was so passionate about resulted in his death. He had maintained good relationships with animals throughout his life, but it was one bad altercation that cost him his life.

However, many claimed to not be surprised by the fate of the Crocodile Hunter. “It was probably always going to be something weird with Steve…it would always be a crazy, silly accident,” Justin Lyons admitted. “And as it turns out that’s exactly what it was.”

During his lifetime, Irwin never blamed the creatures he had encountered as the result of his numerous injuries. He was bitten on many occasions on The Crocodile Hunter and knew that it was simply part of the job.

When he got hurt, he simply labeled it as a mistake on his part. According to him, animals are simply trying to defend themselves and with so many years of training and learning, he felt like he always should’ve been prepared for any situation.

Irwin’s reputation as one of the most passionate TV personalities spread far and wide. However, the people who appreciated his work the most were 6,000 people he shared his hometown with, the people of Beerwah.

This small Australian community is very proud of their most famous child and they were quick to honor the Crocodile Hunter. They named one of the streets after him – Steve Irwin Way, which was ironic, seeing that street is renowned for dangerous accidents.

Another way that Irwin was honored was at sea. The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society changed the name of their 194-foot flagship to the MY Steve Irwin. Although the Crocodile Hunter never got a chance to see the ship, it serves a purpose that he would have been most proud of.

The MY Steve Irwin is used to tackle illegal fishing and whaling, which seems like the perfect homage to Irwin’s character as it is what he would’ve wanted.

After all the shows and publicity, it was very clear that Steve Irwin was not scared so easily by all the wildlife he had encountered over the years. Even though he worked with virtually every creature, there was one particular one that he did not like working with at all.

“For some reason, parrots have to bite me,” he said. “That’s their job. I don’t know why that is. They’ve nearly torn my nose off. I’ve had some really bad parrot bites.”

It seems like it shouldn’t be true. The great Steve Irwin? The Crocodile Hunter? Terrified of parrots? Nevertheless, it was well-documented that it was these birds that stressed out Irwin a lot over the years.

According to him, the animosity was reciprocal, with tropical birds trying to bite him. It was with great apprehension that Irwin decided that he needed to stay well clear of parrots and dedicate his time to the rest of the animal kingdom.

Irwin wasn’t the first person to work with animals who has had issues with parrots. The bird is notoriously mistaken for his colorful, friendly appearance. On the contrary, parrots can be very aggressive and their beaks can cause serious damage to those who get in its way.

The large macaw, for example, is the most famous breed of parrot and is particularly fierce. Its bite strength is identical to that of a big dog: 700 pounds per square inch.

The Real Steve Irwin Death Footage

What was ultimately the cause of Irwin’s downfall was his undeniable fearlessness. When it came to animals, he was willing to put his body and soul on the line in order to help the creatures around him.

“I put my life on the line to save animals,” he said. “I have no fear of losing my life if I have to save a koala or a crocodile, or a kangaroo, or a snake, mate, I will save it.”

Irwin was able to overcome his fear of parrots from time to time. However, there is another animal that Steve managed to avoid for the entirety of his life. In his show Steve’s Most Dangerous Adventures, his choice for the number one spot took a lot of people by surprise.

No, it wasn’t a lion or a shark for that matter. According to Irwin, the most dangerous animal is none other than the hippopotamus. How could this be?

That’s right, much to viewers’ shock, Irwin referred to the hippo as the most dangerous of them all. Despite the animal’s reputation as a herbivore, there have been many cases of its aggressive charges killing many people.

“I ran into some really angry hippos,” he said in 2011. “In some countries of Africa, hippos are known to cause more human fatalities than any other species even more so than Nile crocodiles. And by crikey, they get grumpy. They pushed me right out of the river.”

After learning about the violent history of hippos, Irwin did everything in his power to make sure he didn’t have to work with them. “They’ve got huge great tusks, and when they get angry, they charge straight at ya,” he said.

“I was quite fearful and respectful of them, so I went around ’em. I left my canoe in the end.” This was one situation where Irwin was unwilling to risk his wellbeing for the sake of an animal.

One thing that is more dangerous than being in the presence of a hippo is being surrounded by a group of them. Hippos are hypersensitive about their territory, and if an external party threatens their space, it can cause violent outbursts from the herd.

The situation can be even more disastrous if the alpha male hippo is around. Irwin was fully aware of this, and when he abandoned his canoe, he knew it was for the best.

It may come as a shock. Hippos are often portrayed in the media as peaceful herbivores. However, statistics do back up Irwin’s points. According to the World Health Organization released statistics, in 2016 alone, 100 people were killed by lions.

However, this is a small number in comparison to the 3,000 people who died at the hands of hippos in the same year. These numbers make it clear that the threat of a herd of hippos must not be underestimated.

One key detail about hippos is their size. On average, they weigh up to one and a half tons. This makes them incredibly difficult to handle and as a result, they can overpower most creatures very easily.

If you combine their size with their aggressive abilities, this starts to paint a clear picture of why they are at the top of the aforementioned list. However, there are other reasons for why this creature is so dangerous…

There are two specific things that make hippos particularly dangerous. One thing is how unexpectedly quick they are, while the other thing is their vicious bite. Although Irwin braved a series of bites from his dreaded parrots, this was one animal he never risked being on the receiving end of.

Steve Irwin Camera Footage Of Death

Amazingly, when you think of an animal’s bite, there are many vicious creatures like lions, tigers, and bears. Yet, the herbivorous hippo’s bite is the most powerful.