Social media users are convinced they have seen footage of Steve Irwin’s death – despite it never being released to the public: ‘We saw the ray’s sting pierce his chest’

It has been almost two decades since Steve Irwin’s death, but interest in the conservationist remains high. 

The TV personality was tragically killed in September, 2006 at the age of 44, when a stingray’s barb pierced his chest while filming in the waters off Port Douglas, Queensland.

While footage was of the event was captured, it has never been released to the public. However, many fans online remain convinced they have seen it.

One user recently took to Reddit and claimed they can vividly remember watching the clip as a child.

‘I think I may have seen it online, a time where internet restrictions were a little looser and was a little easier for a little boy to come across a tragic video if he really cared about the goings on,’ the post read. 

One user recently took to Reddit and claimed that can vividly remember watching the clip: ‘I think I may have seen it online, a time where internet restrictions were a little looser,’ the post read. Pictured: Steve with wife Terri Irwin

Many commenters in the post agreed that they had seen the same clip and have vivid memories of it.

‘I remember seeing the same video however it was on a national news broadcasting but cut off closer to when he was about to get hit by the stingray,’ one commenter wrote in response to the Reddit post.

‘I remember it being on the news also but a longer version was floating around on the web,’ wrote another Redditor.

‘Video was him swimming with the rays, then one swims close and video freezes and incident is not shown but text appears,’ one more recollected. 

Yet another claimed to have seen the fatal blow, writing that in the allegedly televised footage, ‘we see the ray’s sting pierce Steve’s shirt directly under his left pectoral muscle near the sternum.’ 

The recollection of the video may be due to a phenomenon known as the Mandela Effect.

The Mandela effect is a type of false memory that occurs when a large number of separate people remember the same piece of misinformation.

Yet another claimed to have seen the fatal blow, writing that in the allegedly televised footage, ‘we see the ray’s sting pierce Steve’s shirt’ 

It takes its name from a widespread false memory that South African president Nelson Mandela died in prison in the 1980s.

However, in the Reddit post’s comments another theory emerged involving a fake video.

In 2018, Steve’s widow Terri Irwin confirmed that the video of her husband’s death has never been released to the public, but that a fabrication had gone viral soon after the tragedy.

However, in the comments to the Reddit post, another theory emerged involving a fake video. In 2018, Steve’s widow Terri Irwin confirmed that the video of her husband’s death has never been released to the public, but that a fabrication had gone viral soon after the tragedy

‘After Steve died, 100 million viewers watched a video of his death that was released on YouTube,’ she told You Magazine.

‘That film was a complete fabrication exploiting people’s sadness. I have never watched the real footage. Why would I?’ said Terri.

‘I know how my husband died and I was relieved that the children weren’t on the boat as they usually would be; it would have been horrendous if they had witnessed it.’

While the video that many fans remember seeing was fake, the tragic death of the ‘Wildlife Warrior’ was all captured on film due to his production rule to never stop filming no matter what happens. 

Copies of the tapes were released to Queensland authorities to help with their investigation, but all of them were destroyed in 2007.

The one remaining copy was given to Terri, who is said to have burned it without viewing the footage.

Copies of the footage of Steve’s death were released to Queensland authorities to help with their investigation at the time, but all of them were destroyed in 2007. The one remaining copy was given to Terri, who burned it without viewing the footage. Pictured left to right: Chandler Powell, Bindi Irwin, Terri Irwin, Robert Irwin