The father of Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter" killed by a stingray while snorkelling this week, has rejected the Australian Government's offer of a state funeral for his son.

Bob Irwin, 66, said that his son would not have accepted a state funeral because he wanted to be remembered as "an ordinary bloke". However, he pointed out that the final decision on the issue would lie with his son's widow, Terri.

John Howard, the Australian Prime Minister, who had invited Irwin as a guest to a barbeque for President Bush, said that a state funeral was appropriate, calling him a great ambassador for Australia.

But Bob Irwin said: "He’s an ordinary guy, and he wants to be remembered as an ordinary bloke. The state funeral would be refused."

In the first public comments by Irwin’s family since the popular naturalist and conservationist died, Bob Irwin said that his son had died doing what he loved best. He also thanked the thousands of fans who had left messages of condolence and support.

Michael Hornby, head of one of Irwin’s wildlife charities, Wildlife Warriors, said that Terri Irwin was considering the offer of a state funeral, but the Australian Broadcasting Corporation later reported that she had already decided against the idea.

Mr Hornby said that Mrs Irwin was also considering having a smaller private ceremony at a location in the Outback, while giving the go-ahead to a separate large event at a stadium in the state capital, Brisbane.

Mr Hornby added that fraudsters appeared to be attempting to capitalise on Mr Irwin's death by setting up bogus websites which sought to divert some of the money being donated to Mr Irwin’s charities following his death.

"There are leeches around the planet, and we are fearful that more are going to come up," said Mr Hornby.

"We want people to make sure they donate only to wildlifewarriors.org.au or through the US Discovery Channel, the Crikey Fund."

The 44-year-old star was snorkelling with a stingray on the Great Barrier Reef as part of his filming for a new television programme when it lashed out with its tail, plunging a poisonous barb into his chest. Despite the efforts to revive him, Mr Irwin died minutes later, the moment captured on film.

John Stainton, Mr Irwin's manager and close friend, said that the videoed footage should never be publicly aired. The tape is currently being held by police as evidence.

"It should be destroyed," said Mr Stainton. "When that is finally released, it will never see the light of day. Ever. Ever. I actually saw it, but I don’t want to see it again."

The Discovery Channel, which produced and aired Mr Irwin’s programs, said that it would not show the footage.

Since Irwin's death, thousands of mourners have flocked to his wildlife park, Australia Zoo in Queensland, laying flowers and written messages.

Amidst the flurry of tributes, however, some have been less complimentary about Irwin's famously daredevil approach to the wildlife with which he was so fascinated.

Echoing comments she made yesterday in the Guardian newspaper, Germaine Greer today described Irwin's antics as embarrassing.

"It’s no surprise that he came to grief," Greer told Nine Network television.

"We now have enough respect for lions to be embarrassed if we see someone trying to crack whips at them and wave chairs at them. Jumping all over crocodiles is the same kind of thing."

Her comments drew criticism from Australian politicians, with Kevin Rudd, the Labour Party’s foreign affairs spokesman, saying he thought Ms Greer "should just stick a sock in it."

Mr Irwin's father said that Steve was aware of the dangers posed by his work and the fact that he could die while doing it.

"Both of us over the years have had some very close shaves and we both approached it the same way, we made jokes about it," he said.

"That’s not to say we were careless. But we treated it as part of the job. Nothing to worry about really."

Speaking to reporters at Australia Zoo, which he originally created before his son turned it into a major tourist attraction, Mr Irwin said: "Over the years Steve and I had a lot of adventures together."

"We weren’t like father and son, we never were. We were mates. I will remember Steve as my best mate ever."

Mr Irwin told how he had just spent nearly a month with the entire family on Cape York in tropical northern Australia research on crocodiles.

"Steve was probably the best I had seen him in many years, in his own personal attitude," he said.

"He was peaceful. He was not under stress. And he was doing something that he really loved doing. I won’t ever forget that three or four weeks."

Mrs Irwin also briefly addressed staff at the park yesterday, thanking them for their support in "very choked up ... very frail" comments that were her first since her husband's death, according to Mr Hornby.

As well as his wife, who is originally from Oregon in the USA, Mr Irwin leaves behind two children, Bindi, 8, and Bob, 2.

Police have said there are no suspicious circumstances in his death, and no decision has yet been made about whether there will be a coroner's inquest.

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