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[CTReptileRescue]

BRISBANE, Australia (Jan. 2) - ''Crocodile hunter'' Steve Irwin's
latest
stunt - hand feeding a large crocodile while holding his infant son -
drew fire
from viewers Saturday, a visit by police and the promise of a
government
investigation.
Before a crowd of onlookers at his reptile park in Beerwah, north of
Brisbane, Irwin on Friday cradled his month-old son, Robert, under
one arm and dangled
a piece of chicken from the other hand in front of a 13-foot
crocodile.
The croc quickly snapped up the meat.
''Good boy, Bob,'' Irwin said once the crocodile's jaws snapped
shut,
according to the tabloid Herald Sun.
The moment was also captured by Channel 7 and Channel 10, with
viewers later
jamming phone lines to express outrage at Irwin's actions, media
reports said.
The stunt drew comparisons with singer Michael Jackson handling of
his infant
son in Berlin in November 2002.

The newspaper The Australian called Irwin's ''a bizarre act at his
Sunshine
Coast zoo that mirrored Michael Jackson's dangling of his newborn
over a
balcony.''
Irwin defended his actions, saying the tot was never in danger.
''I was in complete control of the crocodile. Robert was tucked
right in my
arm,'' said Irwin, the Herald Sun reported on Saturday.
His American wife, Terri, who handed the baby over to Irwin in the
enclosure
and giggled at the spectacle, agreed.
''It was a wonderful sensory experience for him (the baby). He dug
it,'' she
said.

Police officers went to the zoo to tell Irwin that people were
objecting to
the incident, but said he had not committed any criminal offense,
local media
reported Saturday.
Queensland state's Families Minister Judy Spence has called for
unedited
tapes of the incident and officials from the state's workplace
safety authority
said they would also be investigating. Under workplace safety laws
unauthorized
people cannot enter a crocodile enclosure which is part of a public
display.
''I have seen the television footage and while I have no doubt the
Irwins
love their children very much, I believe it was an error of
judgement to place a
baby in a potentially dangerous situation,'' Spence said in a
statement.
Child support and family groups said Irwin's behavior was almost
like child
abuse and he should never have exposed his son to such peril.
''Most parents would cringe at the sight of such things,'' Bill
Muehlenberg
of the Australian Family Association told the Herald Sun. ''One
slip, one fall
and he is the crocodile's lunch.''
Irwin's danger-filled wildlife programs are carried in the United
States by
the Animal Planet network and he starred in the popular 2002
comedy, ''The
Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course.''
The gregarious Irwin was among the few to score an invitation to
Prime
Minister John Howard's barbecue for visiting President Bush in
October.
His Australia Zoo reptile park also is a big tourist attraction .
--------------------------------------------------------------------

MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Celebrity crocodile hunter Steve Irwin
triggered outrage when he held his one-month-old baby while feeding
a snapping crocodile during a show at his Australian zoo.

In a show for the public and the media on Friday, Irwin held his son
in one arm while feeding a dead chicken to a large, lunging
crocodile then put the baby on the ground and helped him walk near
the reptile's pond.


Seven television network was inundated with calls after the incident
was aired. Protests were lodged on a government families crisis line
and with police.


Irwin also received a warning from child-care authorities.


"He's one month old, so it's about time Bob got out there and did
his first croc demo," the typically exuberant, khaki-clad Irwin told
the crowd at his zoo in Australia's Queensland state.


The Seven network said it had been flooded with calls about the
incident, which revived memories of pop star Michael Jackson (news)
dangling his baby from the balcony of a Berlin hotel in November
2002.


"The phones ran hot, pretty much universally in outrage at what he
had done," Seven news producer Dave Salmon told Reuters.


Queensland Acting Premier Terry Mackenroth said a government office
for child welfare had spoken to the Irwin family to ensure there
would be no repeat performance.


"I think that any parent looking at that would think that it is not
the smartest thing to do with a one-month, or a year-old or even a
five-year-old child, to take them inside a crocodile pen,"
Mackenroth told reporters.


"They claim that the child was not in danger but they understand
people's concerns and they have assured children's services that it
won't happen again."


Irwin's television show, "The Crocodile Hunter," has achieved
international success. He starred in the 2002 movie "The Crocodile
Hunter: Collision Course."


Irwin told the Herald Sun newspaper that he would never endanger his
child and he had been in complete control of the crocodile.


"I guess what I am doing is teaching him to be completely familiar
with crocodiles," he said. "It is far more dangerous to pack your
kid up and go out on the road."


Irwin was not immediately available for further comment on Saturday.

[CTReptileRescue]

Links from Yahoo news with Pics..

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...a_crocodile_dc

[Anonymous]

that is intresting i dunno why u would do that though wel atlest the kid didn't get hurt

[CTReptileRescue]

Does any one else have opinions on this story?
The latest thing I read was the Irwin family was "cleared" by their local child welfare agency.
I'll try to find the most recent link

[steelsack]

Just another example of Social Darwinism hard at work...........

[BallKingdom]

People need to just calm down. At least he didn't dangle the baby as food. He's been doing it for years, and been bitten like once himself. I'm sure the baby was in almost no harm. IMO it would be more dangerous to throw your baby in the air playfully like so many parents do. No one calls them on it.

[CTReptileRescue]

Yeah, It's his child, if it was fine with him and his wife and they weren't physically beating or starving the child, then I don't really care, it's all sensationalism, just rediculouse.

[Chondro788]

After seeing many of the pictures, I do not think the child was in any danger. We all Steve would gladly put himself in the way of the croc to save his kid, so whats the big deal. Also if you look at the pics, the child is held far from the croc, and far from the chicken he is feeding to the croc. Why not let the professionals do what they are best at? If I were to be in a croc inclosure, I would want to be with the Steve!
Jason

[pimp_n_python]

Its media hype at its best!!

That child was in no danger saying one slip or fall would mean death for the child maybe true but there is just as much danger in putting him in a car and driving
steve is a professional no one can do what he does as well as he does.
we all know media has a way of blowing things outta proportion
and comparing steve to micheal jackson is just so wrong on so many levels

[Ironhead]

Saw on TV where Irwin said if he could change one thing about this incident, it would be that he would of made sure there were no cameras!

If he was dangling the child out if front of the Croc to get it ot react that would of been a different story, I dont see anything wrong with it except that personally, I would'nt have done it. But it is his child, and both he and the mother agreed to it, so obviously they both believed it was safe.