What is wrong with me? “What the heck are you talking about,” is probably what you are thinking, but the tragic loss of Steve has really done something to me. I really need a place to vent and hope that at least one person will hear.

Who am I? I am just an ordinary, 30-year-old man from San Diego. I don’t have kids that sit around and watch the Crocodile Hunter. I don’t know all that much about the Australia Zoo that Steve worked at, and I don’t know all that much about his family. It wasn’t even until recently that I learned just HOW MUCH Steve has done for wildlife conservation and education.

But I did love his show (and have seen it dozens and dozens of times), his personality and all his wacky antics — just like everybody else on earth.

I learned about his death, like many of you, early Monday and I just couldn’t believe my ears. At first I thought it HAD to have been a mistake. I mean, c’mon! A guy that wrestles crocodiles killed by a docile stingray? What? People get stung by stingrays here off the coast of San Diego ALL year round, and THEY don’t die.

Then I heard that the stingray stung him through his chest and punctured his heart. Then I SURELY thought it had to be a joke, or a mistake, or something. How surreal.

But after a while (a few minutes, a few hours) something slowly started to sink in. This wasn’t just some random celebrity or TV personality. Steve truly struck me as a great, great individual who has seemingly done nothing but good for everything he had touched. He had a personality that touched me in a way that I cannot really describe. Was it because he was so funny? Was it because of his goofy accent or the way he said “crikey!”? Was it the way he would say “Sheila” or “What a beauty”? Was it his energy and genuine passion he displayed? Was it the fact that he has done so much for so many people? I mean, not only was he a great advocate of preserving wildlife, but he brought (and still brings) a great joy to families all over the entire globe. Honestly, I can’t really place my finger on his equal.

So late last night I was watching one of the Discovery Channels, and a very small and beautiful “in memory of” commercial about Steve came on. They played some memorable video clips, some pretty music, and in the background was a blurb from Steve describing how getting people excited about wildlife and wildlife preservation was the reason he was put on this earth. And out of nowhere, I started to cry. Honestly I cannot figure out why his death is affecting me in this way. I didn’t even know the man! But somehow, I feel a loss as if he were a genuine friend of mine.

There is now a huge hole in this earth. Steve’s role with wildlife, his work at the zoo, his TV show, his infectious personality and what appeared to be just a one-of-a-kind great person, put him in a unique position on this earth. And now that he is gone, it seems like something is missing all over the globe. And honestly, I don’t think he could ever be replaced.

I am just a normal, 30-year-old guy from San Diego. Thank you Steve for everything you have done, for everybody. We all miss you.

Brandon, San Diego CA
sandiego_guy