Terri Irwin was born in Eugene, Ore., in 1965. Growing up, Terri was exposed to numerous animals thanks to her father, who would pick up injured animals along the highway as he came upon them. He helped to instill in Terri a commitment to saving and rehabilitating wildlife.

In 1986 Terri started a rehabilitation facility — Cougar County — to re-educate and release predatory mammals such as cougar, fox, raccoon, bear and bobcat. Cougar County handled up to 300 animals a year. In 1989 Terri joined a veterinary hospital as a vet technician while still running Cougar County — and looking after her own menagerie of 15 cats, several birds and a dog. For Terri, wildlife always came first.

In 1991 Terri visited Australia and spent a lot of time touring the various zoos and wildlife facilities. A chance meeting with a man doing a crocodile demonstration at the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park changed her life forever. After a whirlwind courtship, Terri became Mrs. Steve Irwin in 1992; their honeymoon was spent on location, filming their first wildlife documentary. Terri quickly adapted to her new role beside Steve at Australia Zoo, feeding and caring for their hundreds of animals and accompanying him on his wildlife adventures. Terri gave birth to their first daughter, Bindi Sue, in 1998, and Bindi is already following in her parents' footsteps. The newest addition to the family arrived in late 2003, their first boy, Robert (Bob) Clarence.