The US animal rights organisation, PETA, have been sounding off on Twitter and understandably upsetting a lot of people, by directing criticism in the direction of the late, great Steve Irwin.

#SteveIrwin was killed while harassing a ray; he dangled his baby while feeding a crocodile & wrestled wild animals who were minding their own business. Today’s #GoogleDoodle sends a dangerous, fawning message. Wild animals are entitled to be left alone in their natural habitats.

Steve Irwin’s actions were not on target with his supposed message of protecting wildlife. A real wildlife expert & someone who respects animals for the individuals they are leaves them to their own business in their natural homes.

It is harassment to drag exotic animals, including babies taken from their mothers, around from TV talk shows to conferences & force them to perform as Steve Irwin did. Animals deserve to live as they want to, not as humans demand––the #GoogleDoodle should represent that.

Here is the offending animation…

As someone who has always been a keen supporter of animal rights, I was surprised to find myself feeling the need to post a blog, criticising a company whose aim is to apparently protect the welfare of animals.

However, I struggle to see how anyone who saw Steve Irwin’s fantastic work, cannot appreciate how he always had the best interests of the animals at heart. I am not going to lie and say that the snakes and crocodiles he handled didn’t get aggravated, but he only made contact with creatures to demonstrate their sheer beauty and power. It must not be forgotten, that he always kept their stress levels to a minimum, by using correct handling techniques, while ensuring contact time was always as brief as possible.

Many people have said how, by watching Steve’s work with animals, they were educated on wildlife and even developed an interest of their own on the subject.

Steve Irwin also built a zoo, which is still open today, being run by his family. The zoo focuses on animal conservation and has saved many animals from extinction.

So, PETA – while, as an animal lover, I appreciate your aims and aspirations, I cannot agree with you on Steve Irwin. In fact, I feel that you should cultivate yourselves more on his work, before issuing an apology to his family.