New York, Jan. 13 (Reuters): The only video of Australian Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin’s fatal encounter with a stingray has been destroyed, according to his widow.

Irwin, 44, died on September 4 last year after a stingray’s serrated barb pierced his heart while he was filming under water off Australia’s coast.

Australian authorities last week said that they had completed an investigation into Irwin’s death and, to ensure it is never made public, destroyed all but one copy of a tape showing Irwin’s death.

The incident was captured by the documentary crew of Ocean’s Deadliest, the Discovery wildlife special Irwin was filming at the time of his death.

This video was handed to his widow, Terri Irwin, who told TV’s Access Hollywood in an interview being aired on Thursday and yesterday this week that she had now destroyed this footage.

“There’s standard protocols for examining certain evidence and that’s no longer necessary,” she told Access Hollywood. Asked whether she kept the video returned to her, she said: “Oh no, all footage has been destroyed.”

But while the video of his death has been destroyed, footage from the rest of the shoot will make its debut in a one-off special on The Discovery Channel and Animal Planet on January 21 with a two-hour showing of Ocean’s Deadliest. “We’re very proud that Steve’s last documentary is going to air and that’s his last footage with wildlife,” said his widow.

Bindi debut

Irwin’s 8-year-old daughter Bindi followed in her father’s footsteps, using her American television debut to talk about animals.

The khaki-clad girl skipped across the stage on Tuesday holding a bluetongued lizard as she greeted audiences of the The Ellen DeGeneres Show. “This is Spanky. He’s 10 years old,” Bindi said as she prodded the lizard to lick her face.