Fatal Croc Hunter Footage Destroyed
Footage of Steve Irwin's fatal encounter with a stingray is something no one will ever see again—not even his widow, Terri.
Irwin's wife announced she destroyed the last remaining copy of the video that showed the Crocodile Hunter's freak underwater death.
The incident was captured by the documentary crew of Ocean's Deadliest, the Discovery wildlife special Irwin was filming at the time of his death.
Australian authorities last week said they had destroyed all but one copy of the footage at the end of their investigation into Irwin's death, handing off the extant video to Terri.
"There's standard protocols for examining certain evidence and that's no longer necessary," Terri told Access Hollywood of the police force's decision to destroy the tapes.
When asked whether she kept the video that had been returned to her, Terri said, "Oh no, all footage has been destroyed."
According to Australian media reports, the video, shot off the Great Barrier Reef on Sept. 4, shows a stingray striking Irwin. In his final moments, Irwin pulled the barb from his chest and then passed out.
While the video from the day of his death has been destroyed, footage from the rest of the shoot will soon be making its prime-time debut.
Earlier this week, the Discovery Channel announced a Jan. 21 airdate for Ocean's Deadliest.
"We're very proud Steve's last documentary is going to air, and that's his last footage with wildlife," Terri told Access Hollywood.
The one-off special will be preceded by an Irwin tribute on the cable network, and it will subsequently be shown on Animal Planet.
In the meantime, the rest of the Irwin family has mounted a U.S. TV blitz.
This week, Terri appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and both Terri and her eight-year-old daughter Bindi appeared Thursday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to promote her own upcoming Discovery Kids wildlife series, Bindi, the Jungle Girl.
"I just love animals," Bindi said. "My dad really brought it out in me…I want to be like my dad. I want him to be proud of me."
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