Graham ‘Dingo’ Dinkelman has passed away after doing what he loved the most: playing with reptiles.
At the time of his death, the man many called “South Africa’s Steve Irwin” was 44 years old. What did him in was a snake bite from a venomous Eastern green mamba. The bite left him in a medically induced coma following anaphylactic shock.
Dinkelman was in a coma for nearly a month before passing. He leaves behind a wife and three children, ranging from 9 to 14 years old.
Eastern green mambas are among the deadliest snakes in the world, though they are the least deadly of the three green mamba variants. A single bite can cause a victim to lose the ability to breathe within 30 minutes, and some have died just as quickly from an interaction gone sideways with these reptiles.
Dinkelman, who owned Dingo’s Farm and Reptile Park in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, had built up quite the following on his YouTube account, eclipsing 111,000 subscribers. He also had more than 646,000 Instagram followers.
Among his most popular videos are a handful of interactions with deadly creatures, including one titled “Black Mamba Handling Masterclass.” So, yeah, this guy had zero fear and truly lived up to his moniker, “South Africa’s Steve Irwin.”
His channel featured “crazy wildlife content that will bring you some of the most iconic and dangerous animals right into your living room.” I can confirm that the channel, launched in 2020, is just that. Dinkelman came face-to-face with some of the most wicked things lurking in the jungle.
His wife Kristy shared a heartfelt post on Instagram following his death in which she highlighted “his compassion” that extended beyond just the dangerous animals he handled.
“There was a special place in his heart for African mammals, his favorites being elephants, rhinos, and lions, as well as our giraffe Eliot,” she wrote. “But it was truly his love for his family that was always behind his purpose, drive, and passion.”
The comparisons to Irwin are eerily accurate, considering the legendary Crocodile Hunter also lost his life doing what he loved. Irwin was killed by a stingray that penetrated his chest and heart in 2006 at the age of 44 – the same age as Dingo.
The post ‘South Africa’s Steve Irwin’ Graham ‘Dingo’ Dinkelman Dies at 44 From Venomous Snake Bite appeared first on VICE.
The post ‘South Africa’s Steve Irwin’ Graham ‘Dingo’ Dinkelman Dies at 44 From Venomous Snake Bite appeared first on VICE.
