Name |
Steve Irwin |
Height |
5'11 |
Naionality |
Australian |
Date of Birth |
22 February 1962 |
Place of Birth |
Essendon, Victoria, Australia |
Famous for |
|
Steve Irwin was the director of the Australia Zoo in Queensland, Australia, and host of Animal Planet's series "Crocodile Hunter" (1996). The son of naturalists Bob and Lyn Irwin, he spent his entire life studying, living and working with animals. He grew up at the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, where he took part in the daily feeding, care and maintenance of the park's many animal inhabitants. He soon became an expert on local wildlife, particularly reptiles. And (as anyone who has ever seen Steve will easily believe), by the time he was 9, his dad had taught him to jump in and catch crocodiles in the rivers in North Queensland. Together, this father-and-son team could boast that every crocodile at the Australia Zoo (numbering over 150) was either caught with their own hands, or bred and raised at the zoo.
Steve made his name in the Queensland government's rogue crocodile relocation program, where he was one of the most successful participants in this government-sponsored program, safely catching and relocating dozens of troublesome crocodiles without harm to them (or him, for the most part). Irwin's unique talents first came to the attention of the world television audience with the premiere of the first installment of "Crocodile Hunter" (1996). Before long, a star was born -- or "hatched" to be more reptilian about it.
In 1992, Steve married Terri Raines, a young American whom he met when she visited the zoo. She co-starred with him in "Crocodile Hunter" (1996), and traveled with him to help educate the public about the care and responsibility we all have to the natural world. They had two children, daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin, born July 24, 1998 and son Robert Clarence Irwin, born 1st of December, 2003 Sadly, Steve died on 4 September 2006, as a result of a stingray attack.