People Aren’t Having PETA’s Criticisms Of Steve Irwin

Animal rights organization PETA is facing backlash once again, this time for criticizing Google and their decision to honor the late Australian conservationist and television personality Steve Irwin with his own Google Doodle.

PETA President Ingrid Newkirk issued in a statement about why the organization doesn’t approve of the tribute, saying:

“PETA must ask who commissioned these dangerous, hagiographic cartoons of a man who died while harassing a stingray, dangled his baby while feeding a crocodile, and ‘wrestled’ wild animals who were minding their own business. This fawning, ignorant tribute is a slap in the face to the vast majority of people who acknowledge that wild animals are entitled to be left alone in their natural habitats.”

They went on to tweet that Irwin’s actions were not on target with his “supposed message of protecting wildlife.”

Just like any time PETA does anything, people immediately started to go in on the organization not only for criticizing a dead man, but someone we all love and respect so much from our childhoods.

Criticizing PETA always seems to bring people together–especially when they’re going against the one-and-only Steve Irwin. As many people pointed out, Irwin’s family continues to do a lot for wildlife preservation, while those same statistics aren’t really on PETA’s side.

Steve Irwin died on September 4, 2006 after being stung several times by a short-tail stingray–and even 13 years later, he’s still making an impact.