Lions and Tigers and Stingrays, Oh My!

I woke up to bad news today. Steve Irwin is dead. Who is Steve Irwin? Why, he's the crocodile hunter. The Australian chap on TV who gets right up close to crocs and other dangerous beasts and says "Crikey" and other expressions that us Americans find quaint and somewhat amusing. While filming a series called "Ocean's Deadliest", he got too close to a stingray and was stung. The stingray's poisonous barb pierced his heart and he died before the medics could arrive. Now don't get me wrong. I feel bad for his wife and two orphaned kids. It's a horrible thing to go through and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. But all through the article it keeps mentioning how people are stunned at his death. They are shocked upon hearing it. It was a surprise to everyone.What the heck? Here's a man who makes his livelihood by getting up close and personal with dangerous animals. Or at least animals that can be harmful. Did anyone really expect he was going to live a long and fruitful life and die in his bed in old age? Did they really expect that he would end up sitting in a rocker on his front porch whiling away the days, watching the kids playing in the street? I definitely didn't! I mean take Roy Horn for example, you know, from Siegfried and Roy? The one who was mauled by his tiger? This was a tiger that he "knew". It was not the first time he had the tiger on his show. And yet an "accident" happened. That was with an animal he had rapport with. Irwin made a habit of sticking his nose right in the face of danger. He got within striking distance of lethal creatures that didn't know him from Adam. That's what made his show interesting. So why exactly are people surprised?