Stephen Robert “Steve” Irwin, nicknamed “The Crocodile Hunter“, was an Australian nature expert and television personality. Irwin achieved worldwide fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series which he co-hosted with his wife Terri. Together, the couple also owned and operated Australia Zoo, founded by Irwin’s parents in Beerwah, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of the Queensland state capital city of Brisbane.
Early Life Of Steve Irwin
Irwin was born on his mother’s birthday to Lyn and Bob Irwin in Essendon, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. He was of Irish descent on his father’s side. rwin 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. Also at age nine, he wrestled his first crocodile, again under his father’s supervision. 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. Irwin took over the management of the park in 1991 and renamed it Australia Zoo in 1992.
Career Of Steve Irwin
In 1979, Irwin graduated from high school and became a crocodile trapper. This career move served as his first formal step into the diverse world of conservation and animal protection. Throughout the 1980s, Irwin continued trapping rogue crocodiles and relocating them to his family’s zoo. When he wasn’t exploring the vast expanse of Australia in search of endangered crocodiles, he was serving countless hours caring for the wildlife and preserving the grounds of his family’s beloved reserve, then called ‘Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park’. In 1991, he became the owner of the family business. Immediately, he took over managing the wildlife park. In 1992, Irwin took Terri Raines as his bride, and they spent their honeymoon traveling Northern Australia in search of crocodiles for relocation. This “working vacation” became the first episode of what is now fondly known as ‘The Crocodile Hunter’, a show that lasted 5 seasons.
In July 2006, he established a ten year plan for the zoo to solidify the future of the zoo. This plan also guaranteed a continuation of his conservation efforts – an important step as he passed just 2 months later.
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. 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.
Fans Also Viewed
