Sir, While I extend my condolences to Steve Irwin’s family, describing him as an environmentalist is wide of the mark. His attitude — of going too close, of interfering and interacting — was opposed to everything that wildlife watching should be about.
People who behave irresponsibly around wildlife do not see the damage they are doing. For every headline-grabbing human death caused by people feeding dingoes or bears, thousands of animals have pointlessly lost their lives. Bears in Canada, habituated to tourists who go too close for photos, are shot as safety risks after becoming bold around people. Fraser Island, Queensland, lost many of its dingoes after tourists fed the animals, leading to several attacks.
Stress hormones are unnaturally high in some species who are approached. I have seen wild goats chased into the path of oncoming traffic and coyotes driven away from their pups by those who thought it adventurous to intrude. Wildlife watching carries hefty responsibilities. One maxim overrides all others: “If you make the animal change its behaviour, you are too close.” Irwin’s death may have illustrated that point.
ADELE BRAND
Chaldon, Surrey