Steve Irwin
Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 1962 – 4 September 2006), known as "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist.
This article is about the Australian wildlife expert and television personality. For other people with the same name, see Steve Irwin (disambiguation). For the flagship of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, see MY Steve Irwin. For the television series he hosted, see The Crocodile Hunter.
Steve Irwin
Irwin grew up around crocodiles and other reptiles and was educated regarding them by his father, Bob. He achieved international fame in the late 1990s from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series that he co-hosted with his wife, Terri. The couple also hosted the series Croc Files, The Crocodile Hunter Diaries, and New Breed Vets. They also co-owned and operated Australia Zoo, founded by Steve's parents in Beerwah, Queensland. They had two children, Bindi and Robert.
In 2006, Irwin died from an injury caused by a stingray while filming an underwater documentary in the Great Barrier Reef. His death became international news and was met with expressions of shock and grief by fans, the media, governments, and non-profit organizations. Numerous parks, zoos, streets, the vessel MY Steve Irwin, the snail species Crikey steveirwini, and the asteroid 57567 Crikey have been named in his honour. The Irwin family continues to operate Australia Zoo.
Early life[edit]
Stephen Robert Irwin was born on his mother's 20th birthday to Lynette "Lyn" Hakainsson (1942–2000) and Bob Irwin in Upper Ferntree Gully, a suburb of Melbourne.[1][2] His parents were both of English and Irish descent, with some Swedish on his mother's side.[3] His great-great-grandfather Joseph Irwin from Dublin settled in Tasmania, Australia in the 1870s.[4] He has 2 sisters named Joy and Mandy. He moved with his parents as a child to Queensland in 1970, where he attended Landsborough State School and Caloundra State High School.[5] Irwin described his father as a wildlife expert interested in herpetology, while his mother Lyn was a wildlife rehabilitator. After moving to Queensland, Bob and Lyn Irwin started the small Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, where Steve grew up around crocodiles and other reptiles.
Irwin became involved with the park in a number of ways, including taking part in daily animal feeding, as well as care and maintenance activities. On his sixth birthday, he was given a 12-foot (4 m) scrub python. He began handling crocodiles at the age of nine after his father had educated him on reptiles from an early age.[6] Also at age nine, he wrestled his first crocodile, again under his father's supervision.[7] He worked as a volunteer for Queensland's East Coast Crocodile Management program and captured over 100 crocodiles, some of which were relocated, while others were housed at the family park.[8] Irwin took over the management of the park in 1991[8] and renamed it Australia Zoo in 1998.[9][10]
Personal life[edit]
Marriage and family[edit]
In 1991, Irwin met Terri Raines, an American naturalist from Eugene, Oregon, who was visiting wildlife rehabilitation facilities in Australia and had decided to visit the zoo. According to the couple, it was love at first sight.[56] Terri said at the time, 'I thought there was no one like this anywhere in the world. He sounded like an environmental Tarzan, a larger-than-life superhero guy'.[57] They were engaged four months later and were married in Eugene on 4 June 1992. Together they had two children: a daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin (born 24 July 1998), and a son, Robert Clarence Irwin (born 1 December 2003).[58] Bindi Sue is jointly named after two of Steve Irwin's favourite animals: Bindi, a saltwater crocodile, and Sui, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Robert is named after Irwin's father Bob and Terri's father Clarence.
Irwin once described his daughter Bindi as 'the reason [he] was put on the Earth'. His wife once said, 'The only thing that could ever keep him away from the animals he loves are the people he loves even more'.[2] Although the Irwins were happily married, they did not wear wedding rings; they believed that in their line of work, wearing jewellery could pose a hazard to them or the animals.[59] Irwin frequently said that if he was to be remembered for anything, he hoped that it would be for being a good father.[60]
On 11 February 2000, Irwin's mother Lyn was killed in a car accident. In an online tribute, he called her 'the most beautiful, loving, nurturing, and caring person to have ever blessed this world'.[61]
Political views[edit]
While Irwin was usually apolitical, he was known to be a supporter of the Liberal Party of Australia, the main centre-right, liberal conservative party in Australia.[62] When Liberal Prime Minister John Howard visited Australia Zoo in 2003, Irwin introduced him to the crowd as "the greatest leader Australia has ever had" and "the greatest leader in the entire world".[63]
Legacy[edit]
Posthumous movie and television appearances[edit]
Irwin provided his voice for the animated film Happy Feet, as an elephant seal named Trev. The film was posthumously released in November 2006, and it was dedicated to Irwin, as he died during post-production two months prior.[64] Another, previously incomplete scene, featuring Irwin providing the voice of an albatross and essentially playing himself, was restored to the DVD release.[65]
In 2007, a special episode of The Crocodile Hunter was made in tribute to him; Crikey! What an Adventure: An Intimate Look at the Life of Steve Irwin. The documentary features archive footage from The Crocodile Hunter. Later that year, Bindi released the documentary My Daddy, the Crocodile Hunter in Irwin's memory. He appears in several episodes of Bindi the Jungle Girl via archive footage. Archive footage of him has also been used in the television series Crikey! It's the Irwins, which began airing in 2018.
Steve Irwin Day[edit]
Steve Irwin Day is an annual event on 15 November, honouring the life and legacy of Irwin. The date was chosen because it takes place on the birthday of one of Irwin's favourite animals, a tortoise from the Galápagos Islands.[66] Events that take place include people raising money for Wildlife Warriors to help continue Irwin's conservation work,[67][68][69] and employees at Australia Zoo wearing khaki uniforms in Irwin's memory.[70][69][71][72]