A venomous snake bit Graham “Dingo” Dinkleman, a wildlife conservationist and YouTuber renowned for his close encounters with deadly reptiles, and caused his death. He was 44.

Dinkleman, known as “South Africa’s Steve Irwin” due to his striking resemblance to the late Australian environmentalist, passed away on Saturday, October 26, a month following his bite.

His wife Kirsty announced the news on the Africa Reptiles and Venom Facebook page.

“I want to start by thanking you all for your incredible support and the love that we have felt over the past few weeks; today is one month since the incident, and we have experienced such comfort and love from your messages and prayers from all over the world,” said the spokesperson.

“Dingo battled quite hard throughout this terrible era. We appreciate that he fought hard to be with us. Sadly, despite his strength and fortitude, my dear husband died peacefully tonight, surrounded by his family,” it said. “His presence has brought so much warmth, love, passion, and laughter to our lives, as well as all of those who knew him, loved him, and supported him.”

Four weeks prior, on September 30, Kirsty shared an Instagram message detailing Dinkleman’s experience of a poisonous snake bite and his subsequent “straight into anaphylactic shock” due to his allergy to snake venom. Kirsty reports that the hospital transported Dinkleman and placed him in a medically induced coma.

In a follow-up Instagram post on October 9, Kirsty stated that Dingo was still in the ICU and thanked followers for their continued support and prayers.

Dinkleman’s Instagram profile, which has 645,000 followers, included photographs of close encounters with enormous crocodiles and dangerous snakes. One video shows him feeding a live Python to a crocodile.

The Telegraph reports that Dinkleman, who had previously noticed a green mamba on social media, suffered a bite. Dinkleman, according to the magazine, was from Pietermaritzburg in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal area and had three children. His videos frequently featured his son Rex.

In a terrible coincidence, Irwin died at the age of 44 after a fatal animal encounter. In 2006, a stingray barb wounded Irwin in the chest while he was diving in his home in Australia, leading to his death.

Irwin’s spouse Terri, as well as his children Bindi and Robert, have carried on his conservation efforts.