Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter

type size: [A] [A] [A]

Since October 1996, Steve Irwin served as the intense, charming and fearless host of The Crocodile Hunter on Animal Planet. Using his bravery, knowledge, irrepressible enthusiasm and undeniable love of animals, Irwin rocketed into the living rooms of fans around the world to become one of the most recognized and popular personalities on television.

Steve Irwin's life mission was to promote wildlife conservation by educating viewers in an exciting and engaging manner. The Crocodile Hunter didn't seek out the world's most dangerous and dynamic animals just for the sake of an adrenaline rush — his mission was to bring these animals into the public's common awareness, which he considered the first step in the effort of conservation. Steve and his wife, Terri, became a daring wildlife diplomatic team, who shared their passion for wildlife and the well-being of creatures large and small. Their aim was to enlighten viewers by showing that all animals are beautiful creatures deserving of respect and protection.

This passion for worldwide wildlife conservation not only made The Crocodile Hunter a success, but spawned other series including the Emmy-nominated Croc Files, Crocodile Hunter Diaries, New Breed Vets and numerous specials for Animal Planet, Discovery Channel and Travel Channel. The Irwin family plans to continue Steve's legacy of producing great wildlife programming including a new series featuring Steve's daughter, Bindi Irwin, expected to premiere on Discovery Kids Channel in 2007.

The Irwins are also deeply involved in the rescue, relocation and rearing of a myriad of animals at their Australia Zoo (www.australiazoo.com). Steve's parents, Bob and Lyn Irwin, founded the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park and passed their love of wildlife and the park down to Steve. Steve's father taught his son how to catch crocodiles in the rivers of North Queensland when Steve was just a boy. In the early days, this father and son team caught problem crocodiles by hand for the government and moved them to new and remote habitats.

Continued »

Due to Steve's worldwide popularity as a television host and wildlife conservationist, many things at the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park changed through the years including its name, Australia Zoo. Now over 80 acres in size, Australia Zoo contains many attractions, including the Animal Planet Crocoseum. Opened in 2004, this 5,000-seat stadium is the place where visitors see live crocodile demonstrations with close-up views on a huge screen.

Another addition to Australia Zoo is the Koala and Wildlife Hospital, built primarily to take care of Australia's unique koala population, but now catering to all wild creatures in need of veterinarian care. If those additions aren't enough, the zoo's breeding program has been very successful in raising wombats, Tasmanian devils, the highly endangered Fijian crested iguanas, as well as many other endangered species. Due to these successes, Australia Zoo has been named "Australia's Best Major Tourist Attraction" for 2003/4 and "Queensland's Best Major Tourist Attraction" for 2002/3 and 2003/4. In addition, Steve was awarded the title "2004 Queensland Australian of the Year."

Wildlife Warriors Worldwide (www.wildlifewarriors.org) was established by Steve and Terri Irwin in 2002. Although a relatively young charity, it has achieved great success with conservation programs in Australia, Asia and Africa. This nonprofit organization is involved with a number of vital conservation programs, including wildlife research, the Koala and Wildlife Hospital, community education, wildlife rescue, crocodile conservation, cheetah conservation, tiger conservation and elephant conservation. Irwin epitomized the "wildlife warrior" philosophy because he was the original — and he even coined the term. This organization is based on the very ideals of Steve Irwin and they will live in the hearts, the conscience and in the daily lives of the Wildlife Warriors' team as they share his dream of conservation and strive to make it a reality. Wildlife Warriors is a principle partner with Animal Planet's ROAR initiative, which joins with leading animal organizations to make the world a better place for animals.

Another project Steve Irwin spearheaded was the The Croc Hunter's International Croc Rescue Unit, which successfully started a joint Queensland Government project attaching satellite trackers to wild crocodiles in Northern Australia for critical research into the species.

On Monday, September 4th, 2006, Steve Irwin died in a freak accident involving a stingray off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. The world mourned his death and an outpouring of love for Steve and his mission in life was seen across the globe following this tragic accident. Steve is survived by his wife, Terri, and daughter, Bindi, and son, Robert.