Steve Erwin had a lot of amazing animal encounters.
He traveled all over the world, introducing the viewer of his television shows to animals that we would only otherwise see in zoos or in magazines. He not only showed us how these animals act and behave, but he interacted with them, as well. When he died after being stung by a stingray, the world was devastated.
Luckily, he lives on in his videos and through his wife and children, who follow in his footsteps.
One of the most amazing videos that Erwin filmed involved him sitting in a tree watching an orangutan in the branches above him. The orangutan was a new mother. Although she seemed to be a little nervous about him at first, surprisingly, she started to move down the tree and head toward Erwin.
She approached him, and he seemed a little nervous himself.
Orangutans are strong animals, and she could easily hurt him if she wanted to. He was in her territory, and it’s hard to tell what she will do. To everyone’s surprise, she got close to him and even showed him her baby.
It’s an amazing moment.
As Erwin became more comfortable, he started to interact with her and even talked to the cameras while he was doing so. It’s a very special moment that shows how trusting animals can be and also what and kind and gentle spirit Erwin had. It was almost like the orangutan knew he was there to befriend her, and she wanted to let the world see her baby.
The video wasn’t only touching because of the amazing interaction between Erwin and the orangutan, but because it reminded everyone of what a great person and role model the Crocodile Hunter was.
A lot of people commented on the video. One Reddit user posted:
“It’s incredible seeing him with these animals. Everything from his body language to the look on his face just radiates love and respect for all living things. And watching someone with that kind of reverence for mother nature connecting with an amazing animal like that gives me chills.”
Another said:
“I don’t think many of us were that surprised when he was eventually killed by an animal, saddened by it, but not surprised. But the way in which it happened, essentially just a freak thing is what was so crushing about having someone with so much love in his heart for every living creature, was not the way for a man like that to pass. But he died doing what he loved.”
A third viewer said:
“I think I loved the Crocodile Hunter so much because he loved life and was so excited by things. I wanted to be like him. The adults I grew up around hated life and always told me how hard it was and how horrible the world was. I didn’t want to believe that.”
And another said:
“You can really see his respect for the animals here. He never tries to engage them. He just lets them experience having him in their lives. Even when it appears she’s welcoming him he is still very passive. Really an awesome ambassador to the animal kingdom.”
Erwin was a very special person who touched a lot of lives.
His wife and children continue to work with animals and work at the family’s zoo in Australia. They know how important it is to continue his legacy and to introduce humans to the amazing animals that share our planet.
Anyone who grew up watching Erwin on TV knows what a special person he was and how much he cared about animals. He entertained us all and educated us in the process. Anyone who is an animal lover today can probably thank Erwin for it.
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