PETA come under criticism for comments they made about Steve Irwin on his birthday

The animal rights group claimed that Irwin was killed "while harassing a ray".

Friday 22 February marked the birthday of Steve Irwin, the legendary zookeeper and television personality. Irwin was known for the close relationship he seemed to have with animals all around him, and was loved by a massive audience. He died on 4 September 2006, after being pierced in the heart by a stingray. Google honoured the man on this date, making him the centre of their Google Doodle. The Doodle featured an animated slideshow illustrating Steve’s journey as a zookeeper, conservationist and father. A guest blog post from Steve’s wife Dr. Terri Irwin was also published, in which she remembers the achievements of - and life with - the Aussie icon. Since then, animal rights group PETA have condemned Google's decision to honour the man. PETA tweeted to say that Irwin was killed while harassing a ray, that he dangled his baby while feeding a crocodile, and wrestled wild animals who were minding their own business. They also stated that the Google Doodle sent a "dangerous, fawning message". https://twitter.com/peta/status/1098992959649808384 PETA have since been criticised for their decision to post this tweet, with many bringing up the work that Irwin did to save animals throughout his life: https://twitter.com/stevenspohn/status/1099085748177944579 https://twitter.com/Silkie_Allen/status/1098995694369677317 https://twitter.com/stareagle/status/1099116249693466624 https://twitter.com/maureenjohnson/status/1099115012717772801