Nah, he'd never abuse an animal. Piss it off by letting his curiosity get the better of him and getting too close? Constantly! Mistreating an animal on purpose? Never!
Like most documentary entertainment shows, it had both scripted and unscripted elements as well as editing. That doesn't mean that it wasn't an overall accurate depiction of reality.
If that's your honest takeaway, you REALLY need to chill. Steve Irwin has had more of a positive effect on animal life than most other humans that ever lived. That's just objective fact, no script or editing required.