Steve may have done the odd poking at animals, but he knew what he was doing, and knew when he was going too far and actually hurting them.
He was a conservationist, and had a love for every single one of the earths animals. Just listening to him speak to them, you could tell how much respect he had for each one. When he did pick up a snake with a stick or whatever, he would do it carefully and maybe only be moving the snake to a more safe place.