Steve Irwin
Best-known as “The Crocodile Hunter,” Stephen Robert Irwin was born on February 22, 1962 in Essendon, Australia. When Irwin was eight years old, his family moved to Queensland, Australia, where Irwin’s parents founded the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park . Irwin received his first python at age six, and by age nine, had begun handling and wrestling crocodiles.
After graduating from Caloundra State High School in 1979, Irwin moved to Northern Queensland and began working as a crocodile trapper, removing crocodiles from areas where they were considered a hazard. Unsurprisingly, Irwin performed this service for free, under the condition that he be allowed to keep his beloved crocs for the family park. Irwin also became a volunteer for the Queensland Government's East Coast Crocodile Management program.
In 1991, the family business, which is now better-known as the Australia Zoo, was turned over to Irwin. Also in1991, Irwin met Oregon-native Terri Raines at the park, and the pair were wed by the following year. Footage of their crocodile-trapping honeymoon became the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter, a popular television series which debuted on Australian TV in 1996 and made the khaki-wearing, crikey-shouting Steve Irwin a household name. Irwin went on to expand his operation to include his zoo, television series, and the International Crocodile Rescue. Irwin’s daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin, also has a taste of the “wildlife” – she is the presenter of an upcoming wildlife documentary called Bindi the Jungle Girl, which will be produced by the Discovery Kids television network.
In 2001 Irwin’s contributions to protecting wildlife were recognized with a Centenary Medal for “service to global conservation and to Australian tourism.” However, Irwin’s work has also been met with controversy for what some critics call interference with wildlife by getting too close and disrupting their natural habitat. Irwin has also been criticized by animal-rights activists for promoting the preservation of animals such as kangaroos and sharks for ’s tourism purposes, while neglecting other “less marketable” animals.
Irwin founded his own independent charity, Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation, later renamed Wildlife Warriors Worldwide. He also helped to found a number of other wildlife projects, including the International Crocodile Rescue and the Lyn Irwin Memorial Fund (in memory of Irwin’s mother) which donates its proceeds to the Iron Bark Station Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.
On September 4, 2006, Irwin was fatally pierced in the chest by a stingray spine while preparing to shoot ocean reef footage for a show. He is survived by his wife, Terri Raines Irwin; daughter, Bindi Irwin (born July 24, 1998), and son, Robert Clarence “Bob” Irwin (born December 1, 2003).
Fans of Irwin can take comfort in knowing that he died doing what he loved best. He once acknowledged the risky business of his work by insisting “My number one rule is to keep that camera rolling. Even if it's shaky or slightly out of focus, I don't give a rip. Even if a big old alligator is chewing me up I want to go down and go, 'Crikey!' just before I die. That would be the ultimate for me.” |
