A CELEBRITY YouTuber, known as South Africa’s Steve Irwin, has died after he was bitten by a venomous snake.
Graham ‘Dingo’ Dinkelman died on Saturday following complications from a cobra attack.
Dingo was bitten by the snake around a month ago and went into anaphylactic shock.
The YouTuber and wildlife conservationist, from Pietermaritzburg in western South Africa, was hospitalised and treated in an intensive care unit.
The father of three was in an induced coma and under heavy sedatives with the hope that his body would recover.
Dingo’s wife Kirsty confirmed the tragic news about her husband’s death.
She said: “Dingo fought incredibly hard throughout this very difficult period.
“We know that he was fighting to be here with us and we are so grateful for this.
“Sadly, despite his strength and resilience, my beloved husband passed away peacefully today, surrounded by his family.”
In her tribute to her husband, she thanked well-wishers for their support.
Kirsty said: “Today [Saturday] is one month since the incident, and we have experienced such comfort and love from your messages and prayers from all over the world.”
Dingo, dubbed South Africa’s Steve Irwin in a 2022 article, has amassed a global fanbase for his videos.
Steve Irwin was an Australian zookeeper and television personality famous around the globe for hosting a show called The Crocodile Hunter.
He often shocked viewers with his daredevil up-close encounters with dangerous wild animals.
Irwin died in 2006, at age 44, when he was pierced in the chest by a stingray while filming a show in the Great Barrier Reef.
Dingo amassed more than 100,000 YouTube subscribers and over 600,000 Instagram fans.
The YouTuber particularly grew popular for his daring dangerous reptile rescues.
Tributes for the snake handler have poured in from across the globe, according to The Witness.
American YouTuber Jacob Colvin said he was saddened to learn his “his friend” had died.
Colvin remembered Dingo as “a really kind and good-hearted man, who cared deeply about animals.”
Australian Facebooker Mad Paulys Reptile Removal called Dingo “a friend of wildlife.”
Fellow YouTuber Dav Kaufman also paid an emotional tribute to the animal lover.
He said: “He fought so hard for so long. But having an allergic reaction to the venom and going into anaphylactic shock, placing him in a coma for weeks, was just too much even for the strongest of us.
“You’ll be very missed, my friend.”
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