 Stephen Robert Irwin (February 22, 1962 - September 4, 2006) was an Australian
environmentalist and television personality. He was best known for the
television program The Crocodile Hunter, an unconventional wildlife documentary
series which he hosted with his wife Terri Irwin. Irwin's personality and
outrageous antics in the series made him an international celebrity. He also
owned and operated the Australia Zoo at Beerwah in Queensland.
Early
Years
Born in Essendon, a suburb on the outskirts of Victoria's capital Melbourne,
Steve Irwin moved with his parents as a child to Queensland. His parents, Bob
and Lyn, ran the small Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, where Steve grew up
around crocodiles and other reptiles. He became a crocodile trapper, removing
crocodiles from near populated areas, performing the service for free with the
quid pro quo that he kept them for the park.
Rise to Fame
In 1991, Steve took over the running of the park, now renamed the Australia Zoo,
and in 1992 met (at the park) and married Terri. The footage, shot by John
Stainton, of their crocodile-trapping honeymoon became the first episode of The
Crocodile Hunter, which became wildly successful in America.
Under Steve's expansive leadership, the operations grew to include the zoo, the
television series, The Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation, and International
Crocodile Rescue. Improvements to his Australia Zoo include the Animal Planet
Crocoseum, the rainforest aviary, and Tiger Temple.
Film
In 2001, Steve appeared in a cameo role in the Eddie Murphy film Dr Dolittle 2.
In 2002, his first feature film, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, was
released. In general, reviews of this film were negative. In 2003 Irwin was
reportedly in line to host a chat show on Australian network television, a
series that never eventuated.
Animal
Planet
 Animal Planet then released a Crocodile Hunter special called Crocodiles &
Controversy, which attempted to explain both the Baby Bob Incident and the
Antarctica incident. This special argues that Irwin's son was never in danger of
being eaten by the crocodile and that Irwin could not have endangered animals in
Antarctica.
Animal Planet ended The Crocodile Hunter with a series finale entitled Steve's
Last Adventure. The last Crocodile Hunter documentary went for three emotional
hours with footage of Steve's across-the-world adventure, visiting locations
like the Himalayas, the Yangtze River, Borneo, and the Kruger National Park.
Later Projects
In January 2006 as part of Australia Week celebrations in the USA, Steve
appeared at the Pauley Pavilion, UCLA Los Angeles, California. During an
interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Steve announced that Discovery Kids
will be developing a show for his daughter, Bindi Sue. The show, Jungle Girl,
was tipped to be similar to The Wiggles movies, with songs that surround a
story. A feature-length episode of Australian kids TV show The Wiggles entitled
Wiggly Safari appears dedicated to Steve, and he features in it heavily with his
wife and daughter. The show includes the song Crocodile Hunter, Big Steve Irwin.
On June 24, 2006, one of the oldest tortoises living in Steve Irwin's Australia
Zoo, died of heart failure. The tortoise, Harriet, was 176 years old and was
considered part of Irwin's family. Harriet was thought to have belonged to
Charles Darwin.
Steve Irwin was active in politics and was a supporter of the conservative
Liberal Party of Australia. In particular, he strongly supported the incumbent
Prime Minister John Howard.
Family
Steve Irwin was married to Terri Irwin (1992) and had two children: a daughter,
Bindi Sue Irwin (born July 24, 1998), and a son, Robert (Bob) Clarence Irwin
(born December 1, 2003). Bindi Sue is jointly named after two of Steve's dogs:
Bindi, who was accidentally killed by a hunter, and Sui, who died in June 2004.
Baby Bob Incident
Major controversy arose during a public show on January 2, 2004, when Irwin
carried his infant son, Bob, in one arm while feeding a chicken carcass to a
crocodile with the other hand. The infant was close to the crocodile, and
comparisons were made in the press with Michael Jackson's dangling of his son
outside a German apartment window. In addition, child welfare groups, animal
rights groups, and many of Irwin's television viewers criticized his actions as
being irresponsible and tantamount to child abuse. Irwin claimed that any danger
to his son was only a perceived danger and that he was in complete control of
the situation, and consistently refused to apologize for his actions despite
considerable public outcry both in Australia and abroad. His defenders pointed
to his many decades of hands-on experience and direct interaction with
crocodiles. Terri Irwin claimed that their child was in no more real danger than
a child being taught to swim would be. No charges were filed (although the
police did visit Irwin at his home and advised him not to repeat the incident).
Antarctica Incident
In June 2004, Irwin again was the subject of controversy when allegations were
made that he came too close to and disturbed some wildlife (namely whales, seals
and penguins) while filming a documentary in Antarctica. Interacting with
Antarctic wildlife in a disapproved manner may be a breach of Australian federal
and international laws. Subsequently, the matter was closed without charges
being filed.
Death
In September 4, 2006, Irwin was fatally stung in the chest by a stingray barb
off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia while filming an underwater documentary.
Shortly after 11:00 a.m. local time (01:00 UTC), Irwin was filming in the Low
Isles near Port Douglas, north of Cairns, Queensland, Australia, where he was
stung either through his heart or through the left side of his chest and
suffered cardiac arrest. After he was stung, his crew called for medical help
and the Queensland Rescue Helicopter responded, taking him to Cairns Base
Hospital. However, Irwin was immediately pronounced dead at the scene. The
Queensland Police Service notified his family and released a statement for the
media concerning the event.
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