- For the rugby league footballer of the same name, see Steve Irwin (rugby
league).
Stephen Robert Irwin (February 22, 1962 –
September 4, 2006), known simply as Steve Irwin and
nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian wildlife expert and television
personality. He achieved world-wide fame from the television program The Crocodile
Hunter, an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series co-hosted
with his wife Terri Irwin. Together with her, he also co-owned and operated Australia Zoo, founded by his parents in Beerwah,
Queensland. He died in 2006 after being fatally pierced in the chest by a stingray barb.
Early years
Born on his mother's birthday[1] to Lyn and Bob Irwin in Essendon, a suburb of Melbourne,
Victoria, Irwin moved with his parents as a child to Queensland in 1970. Irwin
described his father as a wildlife expert interested in herpetology whilst 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 scrub python.
He began handling crocodiles at the age of nine after his father had educated him on reptiles from an early age.[2] Also at age nine he wrestled his first crocodile, again under
his father's supervision.[3] He graduated from Caloundra
State High School in 1979. He soon moved to Northern Queensland, where he became a crocodile trapper, removing crocodiles from populated areas where they were considered a danger. He performed the
service for free with the quid pro quo that he be allowed to keep them for the park.
Irwin followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a volunteer for the Queensland Government's East Coast Crocodile Management
program.
Career
Rise to fame
The park was a family run business, until it was turned over to Irwin. He took over the running of the park, now called
Australia Zoo (renaming it in 1992). Also that year, he appeared in a one-off reptile and wildlife special for television. In
1991, he met Terri Raines at the park, whilst performing a demonstration. The two married in
June 1992, in Eugene, Oregon. The footage, shot by John
Stainton, of their crocodile-trapping honeymoon became the first episode of The
Crocodile Hunter. The series debuted on Australian TV screens in 1996, and by the following year had made its way onto North
American television. The Crocodile Hunter became successful in the United States and also, after repackaging by Partridge
Films for ITV, in the UK.[4] In 1998, he continued, working
with producer and director Mark Strickson, to present The Ten Deadliest Snakes in the
World. By 1999, he had become very popular in the United States, making his first appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. By this time, the Crocodile Hunter series was
now broadcast in over 137 countries, reaching 500 million people. His exuberant and enthusiastic presenting style, broad
Australian accent, signature khaki shorts, and
catchphrase "Crikey!" became known worldwide.[5] Sir David Attenborough praised Irwin for introducing many
to the natural world, saying "He taught them how wonderful and exciting it was, he was a born communicator."[6]
Under Irwin's leadership, the operations grew to include the zoo, the television series, the Steve Irwin Conservation
Foundation (renamed Wildlife Warriors), and the International Crocodile Rescue.
Improvements to the Australia Zoo include the Animal Planet Crocoseum, the rainforest aviary and Tiger Temple. Irwin mentioned
that he was considering opening an Australia Zoo in Las Vegas, Nevada, and possibly at other sites around the world.[1]
Film
In 2001, Irwin appeared in a cameo role in the Eddie
Murphy film Dr. Dolittle 2, in which a crocodile warns Dolittle that he
knows Irwin is going to grab him and is prepared to attack when he does, but Dolittle fails to warn Irwin in time. Irwin's only
starring feature film role was in 2002's The Crocodile Hunter:
Collision Course, which was released to mixed reviews. In the film Irwin (who portrayed himself and performed numerous
stunts) mistakes some CIA agents for poachers. He sets out to stop them from
capturing a crocodile, which, unknown to him, has actually swallowed a tracking
transmitter. The film won the Best Family Feature Film award for a comedy film at the Young Artist Awards. The film was produced on a budget of about $12 million, and has grossed
$33 million.[7] To promote the film, Irwin was featured in an animated short produced by Animax Entertainment for Intermix.[8]
In 2002, the Irwins appeared in the Wiggles video/DVD release Wiggly Safari, which was set in Irwin's Australia Zoo. It featured Irwin-themed songs written and
performed by the Wiggles such as "Crocodile Hunter", "Australia Zoo", "Snakes (You can look but you better not touch)" and "We're
The Crocodile Band". Irwin was featured prominently on the cover and throughout the movie.
In 2003, Irwin was reportedly in line to host a talk show on Australian network television,
a series that never went into production.[citation needed]
In 2006, Irwin provided his voice for the 2006 animated film Happy Feet, as an elephant seal named Trev. The film was
dedicated to Irwin, as he died during post-production.[9]
Another, previously incomplete scene, featuring Steve providing the voice of an Albatross and essentially playing himself, was
restored to the DVD release.
Animal Planet and later projects
Animal Planet ended The Crocodile Hunter with a series finale entitled "Steve's
Last Adventure." The last Crocodile Hunter documentary spanned three hours with footage of Irwin's across-the-world adventure in
locations including the Himalayas, the Yangtze River,
Borneo, and the Kruger National Park. Irwin went on
to star in other Animal Planet documentaries, including The Croc Files,
The Crocodile Hunter Diaries, and New Breed Vets.
As a part of the United States' "Australia Week" celebrations in January 2006, Irwin appeared at the Pauley Pavilion, UCLA in Los Angeles, California. During an interview
on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Irwin announced that Discovery Kids would be
developing a show for his daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin.[10] 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 Irwin, and he's featured in
it heavily with his wife and daughter. The show includes the song "Crocodile Hunter, Big Steve Irwin".
In 2006, the American network The Travel Channel had begun to show a series of
specials starring Irwin and his family as they travelled on cross-country tours.
Media work
A poster from Irwin's
Quarantine Matters! campaign.
Irwin was also involved in several media campaigns. He enthusiastically joined with the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service to promote Australia's strict
quarantine/customs requirements, with advertisements and
posters featuring slogans such as, "Quarantine Matters! Don't muck with it". His payments for these advertising campaigns were
directed into his wildlife fund.[11]
In 2004, he was appointed ambassador for The Ghan, the passenger train running from
Adelaide to Alice Springs in the
central Australian outback, when the line was extended all the way to Darwin
on the northern coast that year. For some time he was sponsored by Toyota.[12]
He was also a keen promoter for Australian tourism in general and Queensland tourism in particular. In 2002, the Australia Zoo
was voted Queensland's top tourist attraction.[13] His immense popularity in the United States meant he often promoted Australia as a tourist
destination there.[14]
Honours
In 2001, Irwin was awarded the Centenary Medal for his "service to global
conservation and to Australian tourism".[15] In 2004, he
was recognised as Tourism Export of the Year.[16] He was
also nominated in 2004 for Australian of the Year, an honour which was won by
Australian Cricket Captain Steve Waugh. Doubts were cast over his nomination when the "baby
Bob" incident, in which Steve fed a crocodile whilst holding his infant son, occurred in January of that year.[17] Shortly before his death, he was to be named an adjunct
professor at the University of Queensland's School of Integrative
Biology.[18]. In May 2007, the Rwandan Government
announced that it would name a baby gorilla after Steve Irwin as a tribute to his work in wildlife conservation[19]. The Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Centre in Neyyar
Wildlife Sanctuary was named by the Kerala government after late Steve Irwin.[20][21].
Environmentalism
- See also: Wildlife Warriors
Irwin was a passionate conservationist and believed in promoting
environmentalism by sharing his excitement about the natural world rather than
preaching to people. He was concerned with conservation of endangered animals and
land clearing leading to loss of habitat. He considered conservation to be the most
important part of his work: "I consider myself a wildlife warrior. My mission is to save the world's endangered species."[13] Irwin bought "large tracts of land" in
Australia, Vanuatu, Fiji and
the United States, which he described as "like national
parks" and stressed the importance of people realising that they could each make a difference.[22]
He had urged people to take part in considerate tourism and not support illegal poaching
through the purchase of items such as turtle shells or shark-fin soup.[23]
He founded the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation, which was later renamed Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, and became an
independent charity. He was described after his death by the CEO of RSPCA Queensland as a "modern-day
Noah", and British naturalist David Bellamy lauded his skills as a natural historian and media
performer.[24] Irwin and his father discovered a new
species of turtle that now bears his name, Elseya irwini — Irwin's Turtle — a
species of turtle found on the coast of Queensland.[25]
He also helped to found a number of other projects, such as the International Crocodile Rescue, as well as the Lyn Irwin
Memorial Fund, in memory of his mother (who was in a fatal car crash in 2000), with proceeds going to the Iron Bark Station
Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.
Irwin, however, was criticised for having an unsophisticated view of conservation
in Australia that seemed more linked to tourism than to the problems Australia faces as a continent.
In response to questions of Australia's problems with overgrazing, salinity, and erosion, Irwin responded, "Cows have been on our
land for so long that Australia has evolved to handle those big animals." The Sydney Morning Herald concluded with the opinion
that his message was confusing and amounted to "eating roos and crocs is bad for tourism, and therefore more cruel than eating
other animals".[26]
According to Terri, Sir David Attenborough was an inspiration to Irwin. When presenting a Lifetime
Achievement Award to Attenborough after Irwin's death at the British National
Television Awards on October 31, 2006 Terri stated "If
there's one person who directly inspired my husband it's the person being honoured tonight." She went on to say "[Steve's] real,
true love was conservation - and the influence of tonight's recipient in preserving the natural world has been immense."[27] Sir David reciprocated with praising
Irwin for introducing many to the natural world, saying "He taught them how wonderful and exciting it was, he was a born
communicator."[6]
Filmography
Personal life
Family
Terri Raines, the wife of Steve Irwin
In 1992, Irwin married Terri Raines from
Eugene, Oregon, United States. The pair had met a few months earlier, when Terri had visited the zoo on a holiday;
according to both of them, 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."[28] Together they had two children: a
daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin (born July 24, 1998), and a son, Robert Clarence "Bob" (named after Irwin's father) Irwin (born December 1, 2003). Bindi Sue is jointly named after two of Steve Irwin's
favourite animals: Bindi, a saltwater crocodile, and Sui, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier who died in June 2004.
Irwin was as enthusiastic about his family as he was about his work. He 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."[1]
Controversies
A controversial incident occurred during a public show on January 2, 2004, when Irwin carried his one-month-old son, Bob, in his arm whilst hand-feeding a chicken carcass to Murray, a
3.8-metre (12.5-foot) saltwater crocodile. The infant was close to the crocodile, and comparisons were made in the press to
Michael Jackson's dangling his son outside a German hotel window.[29] In addition, child welfare groups,
animal rights groups, and some of Irwin's television viewers criticised his actions as
irresponsible and tantamount to child abuse.[30] Irwin apologised on the US NBC Today Show.[31] Both he and his wife publicly stated that Irwin was in complete control of the situation, as he had
dealt with crocodiles since he was a small child, and based on his lifetime of experience neither he nor his son were in any
danger. He also showed footage of the event shot from a different angle, demonstrating that they were much further from the
crocodile than they had appeared in the publicised clip.[32] Terri Irwin claimed their child was in no more danger than one being taught to swim. No charges
were filed; according to one journalist, Irwin told officials he would not repeat the action.[33] The incident prompted the Queensland government to change its
crocodile-handling laws, banning children and untrained adults from entering crocodile enclosures.[34]
In June 2004, allegations were made that he disturbed wildlife (namely whales, seals and penguins) whilst filming a documentary,
Ice Breaker, in Antarctica. The
matter was subsequently closed without charges being filed.[35]
Animal Planet released a "Crocodile Hunter" special called "Confessions of the Crocodile Hunter" which attempted to explain
some of the incidents. This special argues that Irwin's son was never in danger of being harmed by the crocodile, and that Irwin
was no threat to the animals in Antarctica.
Politics
After questions arose about Irwin being paid $175,000 worth of taxpayers' money to appear in a television advertisement and
his possible political ties, Irwin told ABC that he was a
conservationist and did not choose sides in politics.
His comments describing Australian Prime Minister John Howard as the "greatest leader in
the world" earned him scorn in the media.[36]
Search and rescue effort in Mexico
In November 2003, Irwin was filming a documentary on sea lions off the
coast of Mexico's Baja California Peninsula
when he heard via his boat's radio that two scuba divers were reported missing in the area.
Irwin and his entire crew suspended operations to aid in the search. His team's divers searched with the rescue divers, and Irwin
used his vessel to patrol the waters around the island where the incident occurred, as well as using his satellite communications
system to call in a rescue plane. On the second day of the search, kayakers found one of the
divers, Scott Jones, perched on a narrow rock ledge jutting out from the side of a cliff. Irwin and a crewmember escorted him to
Irwin's boat. Jones did not recognise his celebrity rescuer, as he had never seen Irwin on television. The other lost diver,
Katie Vrooman, was found dead by a search plane later the same day not far from Jones' location.[37]
Sports fan
Having grown up in Essendon, Irwin was a fan of the Essendon Bombers, an
Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League.[38] Irwin took part in an Australian Rules football promotion in Los Angeles as part of "Australia
Week" in early 2006.[39] After his death, a picture of
Irwin wearing a Bombers Guernsey was shown by ESPN.com in their Bottom 10 ranking of the worst
Division I-A college football teams after Week 1 of
the season in tribute to him.[40]
Living in Queensland most of his life, Irwin was also a fan of rugby league. As a
teenager, he played for the Caloundra Sharks as a second-rower,[41] and as an adult he was known to be a passionate Brisbane
Broncos fan and was involved with the club on several occasions. On one occasion after turning up to training he asked if
he could tackle the largest player, Shane Webcke. Despite being thrown to the ground and
looking like he'd been crushed he was jovial about the experience. Irwin laughingly shared the experience with the
Queensland State of
Origin squad before the 2006 series.[42] Irwin
also supported rugby union, being a fan of the national team, the Wallabies. He once wore Wallaby jersey during a demonstration at the zoo. A
behind-the-scenes episode of The Crocodile Hunter showed Irwin and the crew finding a gas station in a remote part of
Namibia to watch the Wallabies defeat France in the 1999 Rugby World Cup Final.
Irwin was also a talented surfer.[43]
Other personal trivia
- Irwin was particularly interested in Singapore Zoo, which he considered a sister
institution of the Australia Zoo.[44]
- Irwin loved mixed martial arts competitions and trained with Greg Jackson in the
fighting/grappling system of Gaidojutsu.[45]
- Irwin said on an interview for the Discovery Networks that he would only
stop his wildlife conservation efforts when his children took over the operation, just as Irwin had his father's center.
- In 2004, during an interview with Larry King, he admitted that he had a fear of
parrots, having received many painful bites from the animals in the past.[1]
- In 2005, in an interview for New Idea, he stated that he was afraid of being killed
in a car crash.[46]
- Terri Irwin has stated in an interview that Irwin believed in God.[47] Stories that he had joined a church a short time before his death appear to be urban legend.[48]
- Irwin was an avid fan of surfing and was teaching his daughter Bindi Sue how to surf.
- He was a keen supporter of Australian Rules Football club Essendon.
- Although he and Terri were happily married, they did not wear wedding rings; in their
line of work, wearing jewellery could pose a hazard to them and/or the animals.[49]
Death
On September 4, 2006, Irwin was fatally pierced in the
chest by a stingray spine whilst snorkeling at the
Great Barrier Reef, at Batt Reef, which is located
off the coast of Port Douglas in Queensland. Irwin was in the area filming his own documentary,
Ocean's Deadliest, but weather had stalled filming. Irwin decided to take the
opportunity to film some shallow water shots for a segment in the television program his daughter Bindi was hosting,[50] when, according to his friend and colleague,
John Stainton, he swam too close to one of the stingrays. "He came on top of the stingray
and the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said Stainton,
who was on board Irwin's boat the Croc One.
The events were caught on camera, and a copy of the footage was handed to the Queensland
Police.[51] After reviewing the
footage of the incident and speaking to the cameraman who recorded it, marine documentary filmmaker and former spearfisherman
Ben Cropp speculated that the stingray "felt threatened because Steve was alongside and there
was the cameraman ahead." In such a case, the stingray responds to danger by automatically flexing the serrated spine on its tail
(which can measure up to 25 cm or about 10 inches in length) in an upward motion.
Cropp said Irwin had accidentally boxed in the animal. "It stopped and twisted and threw up its tail with the spike, and it
caught him in the chest. It's a defensive thing. It's like being stabbed with a dirty dagger." The stinging of Irwin by the
bull ray was "a one-in-a-million thing," Cropp told Time magazine. "I have swum with many rays, and I have only had one do that to me..."[52]
John Stainton described the video to the media, stating, "Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked
him here [in the chest], and he pulled it out and the next minute he's gone."[51] It is thought, in the absence of a coroner's report, that a combination of the toxins and the puncture wound from the spine caused Irwin to die of
cardiac arrest, with most damage being inflicted by tears to arteries or other main blood
vessels.[53] A similar incident in Florida a month later in which a man survived a stingray barb through the heart
showed that Irwin's removal of the barb may have caused his own death.[54] The coroner's report has not yet been released.
Crew members aboard his boat called the emergency services in the nearest city of Cairns and
administered CPR as they rushed the boat to the nearby Low Islets to meet
an emergency rescue helicopter. However despite the best efforts of Irwin's crew, medical staff pronounced him dead when they
arrived a short time later.[50] According to Dr
Ed O'Loughlin, who treated Irwin, "it became clear fairly soon that he had non-survivable injuries. He had a penetrating injury
to the left front of his chest. He had lost his pulse and wasn't breathing."[55]
Irwin's body was flown to a morgue in Cairns. His wife, Terri Irwin, was on a walking tour in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania at the time, and returned via a private plane from Devonport to the Sunshine Coast with their two
children.[50]
Fatalities due to stingrays are infrequent and occurrences are not consistently collated.[56] The attack on Irwin is believed to be the only fatality from a stingray ever
captured on film.[57]
Stainton told CNN's Larry King "[The tape] should be
destroyed".[58] In an
ABC interview with Barbara
Walters, Irwin's wife Terri said she has not seen the film of her husband's deadly encounter with the stingray and that it
would not be shown on television. On January 3 2007, the only
video footage showing the events that led to Irwin's death was handed over to Terri, who said that the video would never become
public, and noted her family has not seen the video either. In a January 11, 2007 interview with Access Hollywood, Terri said that "all footage
has been destroyed."
Production was completed on Ocean's Deadliest, which aired for the first time on the Discovery Channel on January 21 2007. The documentary was completed with footage shot in the weeks following the accident.[59] According to Stainton, "Anything to do with the day that he died, that
film is not available."[60] Perhaps to maintain the
film's original purpose as a nature documentary and prevent it from becoming a documentary of Irwin's final days, his death is
not mentioned in the film, aside from a still image of Irwin at the end alongside the text "In Memory of Steve Irwin".
Reaction
News of his death prompted widespread shock. Australian Prime Minister
John Howard expressed his "shock and distress" at the death, saying that "Australia has lost a wonderful and colourful
son."[61] Queensland Premier Peter Beattie commented in a
Channel Seven television interview that Irwin "will be remembered as not just a great
Queenslander, but a great Australian".[62] Several Australian news websites went down because of high web traffic and for the first
time the top 10 list of most viewed stories for Fairfax Digital news sites were swept by
one topic.[63] Talk-back radio
experienced a high volume of callers expressing their grief.[64] Flags at the Sydney Harbour were lowered to half staff in honor
of Irwin.[65]
The U.S. feed of the Animal Planet cable
television channel aired a special tribute to Steve Irwin that started on Monday, 4
September 2006. The tribute continued with the Animal Planet channel showing highlights of
Irwin's more than 200 appearances on Discovery Networks shows.[66]
On the evening of his death, Enough Rope re-broadcast an interview between Irwin
and Andrew Denton originally broadcast in 2003. CNN showed a
repeat of his interview on Larry King Live, originally recorded in 2004. The
Australian federal parliament opened on September
5, 2006 with condolence speeches by both the Prime Minister John Howard and the Leader of the Opposition Kim Beazley. The
Seven Network aired a television memorial show as a tribute to Irwin on 5 September 2006,[67] as did the Nine Network on September 6, 2006.
Jay Leno delivered a tribute to Irwin, describing him as a great ambassador of Australia.
Irwin appeared on Leno's talk show on more than ten occasions.[68] There were also tributes on Live with Regis
& Kelly and Barbara Walters' The
View; on the former show, Kelly Ripa came close to tears with her praise of
Irwin.[68]
Hundreds of people visited Australia Zoo to pay tribute to the deceased entertainer and conservationist. The day after his
death, the volume of people visiting the zoo to pay their respects affected traffic so much that police reduced the speed limit
around the Glass House Mountains Road and told motorists to expect delays.[69] BBC reported on
September 13, 2006 that thousands of fans have been to
Australia Zoo since Irwin's death, bringing flowers, candles, stuffed animals and messages of support.[70]
In the weeks after his death, Irwin's conservation foundation Wildlife Warriors
reported that thousands of people from around the world were offering their support via donations to the conservation group.
Criticism
Dan Mathews, vice-president of animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said it was "no shock at all
that Steve Irwin should die provoking a dangerous animal". He added that "Irwin made his career out of antagonising frightened
wild animals, that's a very dangerous message to send to children." He also made a comparison with another well known
conservationist: "If you compare him with a responsible conservationist like Jacques
Cousteau, he looks like a cheap reality TV star."[71][72] The son of Jacques
Cousteau, Jean-Michel Cousteau, also a producer of wildlife documentaries, also
took issue with Irwin's hands-on approach to nature television. Cousteau asserted, "You don't touch nature, you just look at it."
Although it "goes very well on television", Irwin's approach would "interfere with nature, jump on animals, grab them, hold them,
and have this very, very spectacular, dramatic way of presenting things" which Cousteau felt is "very misleading".[73] Jacques Cousteau's grandson, Philippe Cousteau Jr., however, was himself working with Irwin on the "Ocean's Deadliest"
documentary at the time of Irwin's death, and later described him as "a remarkable individual". Describing their project, he
said, "I think why Steve was so excited about it that we were looking at these animals that people think of as, you know,
dangerous and deadly monsters, and they're not. They all have an important place in the environment and in the world. And that
was what his whole message was about."[74]
Backlash against stingrays
In the weeks following Irwin's death, at least ten stingrays were found dead and mutilated, with their tails cut off, on the
beaches of Queensland, prompting speculation that they had been killed by fans of Irwin as an
act of revenge. Michael Hornby, a friend of the late naturalist and executive director of Irwin's Wildlife Warrior fund,
condemned any revenge killings.
"We just want to make it very clear that we will not accept and not stand for anyone who's taken a form of retribution. That's
the last thing Steve would want," he said.[75]
Funeral and memorials
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie
extended the offer of a state funeral to Irwin's family, an honour also agreed to by
Prime Minister John Howard. The family decided that such a funeral wouldn't
be appropriate, a sentiment echoed by many Australians outside media and political circles. Steve Irwin's father,
Bob Irwin, stated that his son would not have wanted such an honour, and would want to be
remembered as an "ordinary bloke".[76] Beattie stated he would honour the decision of the Irwin family regarding their arrangements. Irwin
was farewelled by family and friends at a private funeral service held at Caloundra on the afternoon of 9 September.[77]The naturalist was buried in a private ceremony at the zoo on
the same day.[70]
Memorial service
A public service was held at the 5,500-seat Crocoseum at Australia Zoo on Wednesday
morning September 20, 2006. The service was broadcast live,
commercial free, in the eastern states of Australia, by free-to-air channels Seven,
Nine and the ABC in Australia, as well as live on
subscription channel Sky News Australia. In addition, it was broadcast live around
the world, particularly the United States, where the service was broadcast commercial free on Animal Planet, as well as to Asia and Germany. A BBC camera crew was also
sent especially to Australia to cover the memorial service for the United Kingdom. It is
estimated that over 300 million viewers worldwide watched the service.[78]. The memorial was also rebroadcast on Animal Planet on January
1, 2007 as part of their New Year's Day celebration,
and again the following day.
The memorial service was held in the "Crocoseum" at
Australia Zoo
Messages from around the world came from people including Hugh Jackman, Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe and Larry
King. Costner called him a "fearless" man who was brave enough to let people see him as he was.[79]
The Prime Minister John Howard made an early speech at the service, as did Irwin's father Bob and his daughter Bindi.
Wes Mannion and John Stainton also made speeches and David
Wenham read a poem.[79]
Anthony Field from The Wiggles partly hosted the
service, often sharing the screen with various animals, from koalas to elephants, and Australian music star John Williamson sang True
Blue, which was Irwin's favourite song. Professor Craig Franklin of the University of Queensland told the crowd that the university was about to make Irwin an
adjunct professor for his contributions to the study of crocodiles.[80] In a symbolic finish to the service, Irwin's truck was loaded up with gear and
driven out of the arena for the last time as Williamson sang.
In a final tribute, Australia Zoo staff spelled out Irwin's catchphrase "Crikey" in yellow flowers as Irwin's truck was driven
from the "Crocoseum" for the last time to end the service. Flags on the Sydney Harbour
Bridge flew at half mast on the day of the memorial service.
Other Australian memorials
- Several permanent memorials for Irwin have already been considered or announced. Premier Peter Beattie suggested a national
park be named after Irwin or a permanent memorial might be constructed in his honour, though the details of the structure would
depend on Irwin's family.[69]
- On January 1, 2007, Glasshouse Mountains Road, the road that
runs by Steve and Terri Irwin's Australia Zoo, was officially renamed to "Steve Irwin Way".[81]
- There will be a nature park in Australia named after Irwin, the Australian federal government announced in July 2007.[82]
American memorials
- Animal Planet is also creating the Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter Fund called the "The Crikey Fund" to "provide a way for
people from across the globe to make contributions in Irwin's honor to support wildlife protection, education and
conservation".[83]
- On the Happy Feet DVD, there is a deleted scene where
the main character Mumble meets an albatross voiced by Irwin and a blue whale. The
scene was unfinished at first but was included on the DVD release to honor Irwin's memory as Irwin had insisted on being in a
film that contained a message about the environment. However, they took this scene off the
movie and decided to let Irwin play an elephant seal named Trev.
Indian memorial
- A crocodile research centre in Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary was named by the Kerala government after Steve Irwin.
The state's forest and wildlife department is perhaps the first government body in the world to name a memorial after Irwin,
whose documentaries on wildlife and reptiles endeared him to thousands of viewers. The centre is now called the Steve Irwin
Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Centre.
Death anniversary
On September 4, 2007, Australian fans gathered at the Irwin
family zoo on the Gold Coast, Queensland to commemorate the first anniversary of Irwin's death. State Premier Peter Beattie described Irwin as one of the state's greatest cultural ambassadors. On November 15, Irwin's widow Terri and children, Bindi and Bob, will remember his life and
achievements on "Steve Irwin Day".[85]
See also
Notes and references
- ^ a b c d
- ^ Biography: Steve
Irwin. The Australian. News Limited (4
September 2006). Retrieved on 2006-09-04.
- ^ Wulff, Jennifer (September 18, 2006). "Wild by Nature. (STEVE IRWIN 1962-2006)". People
Weekly 66 (12): 60. Time, Inc.
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