Steve Irwin
| Stephen Robert Irwin | |
 Steve Irwin in Australia
| |
| Born | February 22 1962 Essendon, Victoria, Australia |
|---|---|
| Died | 4 September 2006 (aged 44) Batt Reef, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation | Naturalist Zoologist Conservationist Television Personality |
| Spouse(s) | Terri Irwin |
| Children | Bindi Sue Irwin Robert (Bob) Clarence Irwin |
| Website CrocodileHunter.com.au | |
Stephen Robert Irwin (February 22, 1962 – September 4, 2006), known simply as Steve Irwin and nicknamed "The Crocodile Hunter," was an iconic Australian television personality, wildlife expert, and conservationist. 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, they also co-owned and operated Australia Zoo, founded by his parents in Beerwah, Queensland. He died in 2006 after his chest was fatally pierced by a stingray barb while filming in Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
Early years of life
Born on his mother's birthday 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, the branch of zoology dealing with the study of reptiles and amphibians, while his mother 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.
As a boy, Steve took 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 and wrestling crocodiles at the age of nine.
Irwin 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 no charge, with the quid pro quo that he be allowed to keep the crocs for the park.
Career
Rise to fame
The family wildlife park was eventually turned over to Steve, who renamed it the Australia Zoo in 1992. He had met Terri Raines at the park, while performing a demonstration. The two married in June 1992, in Terri's hometown of 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 in 1996, and by the following year the show had made its way onto North American television, followed soon thereafter in the UK. Irwin went on to star in other Animal Planet documentaries, including The Croc Files, The Crocodile Hunter Diaries, and New Breed Vets.
In 1998, Irwin worked with producer and director Mark Strickson to present The Ten Deadliest Snakes in the World. By 1999, his U.S. popularity led to his first appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. By this time, the Crocodile Hunter series was broadcast in 137 countries, reaching as many as 500 million people. Irwin's exuberant and enthusiastic presenting style, broad Australian accent, signature khaki shorts, and catchphrase "Crikey!" became known worldwide.
Irwin's 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 included the Animal Planet Crocoseum, the rainforest aviary, and Tiger Temple.
Media work
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. His immense popularity in the United States meant he often promoted Australia as a tourist destination there.
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.
In January 2006, as part of the United States' "Australia Week" celebrations, 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. 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" was dedicated to Irwin, and he was featured heavily in it 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 traveled on cross-country tours.
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 advertizing campaigns were directed into his wildlife fund.
Environmentalism
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. Irwin considered saving endangered species to be the most important part of his work. 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 realizing that they could each make a difference.[1] 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.
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.[2]
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.
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 Center.
Controversy
On January 2, 2004, a controversial incident occurred during a public show when Irwin carried his one-month-old son, Bob, in his arm while hand-feeding a chicken carcass to Murray, a 12 and a half 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. In addition, child-welfare groups, animal-rights groups, and some of Irwin's television viewers criticized his actions as irresponsible and tantamount to child abuse.
Both Irwin 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 widely publicized clip. Terri Irwin said 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. The incident prompted the Queensland government to change its crocodile-handling laws, banning children and untrained adults from entering crocodile enclosures.
Death
On September 4, 2006, Irwin was fatally pierced in the chest by a stingray spine while 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, 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.
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.
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.
Terri Irwin recently reported that Steve had an ongoing premonition that he would die before he reached age 40.[3]
Worldwide reaction
News of his death prompted widespread worldwide shock. Australian Prime Minister John Howard expressed his "shock and distress" at the death, saying that "Australia has lost a wonderful and colorful son."[4] 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. Talk-back radio experienced a high volume of callers expressing their grief. Flags at the Sydney Harbor were lowered to half staff in honor of Irwin.
The U.S. feed of the Animal Planet, cable-television channel aired a special tribute to Steve Irwin that started on Monday, September 4, 2006. The tribute continued with the Animal Planet channel showing highlights of Irwin's more than 200 appearances on Discovery Networks shows.
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 September 5, 2006,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 10 occasions.
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. 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.
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.
Queensland Premier Peter Beattie extended the offer of a state funeral to Irwin's family, an honor also agreed to by Prime Minister John Howard. The family decided that such a funeral would not 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 honor, and would want to be remembered as an "ordinary bloke."[5] 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 September 9, 2006. The naturalist was buried in a private ceremony at the zoo on the same day.
Memorial service
A public service was held at the 5,500-seat Crocoseum at Australia Zoo on 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. 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 Prime Minister John Howard made an early speech at the service, as did Irwin's father Bob and his daughter Bindi. 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 Harbor Bridge flew at half mast on the day of the memorial service.
Legacy
In 2001, Irwin was awarded the Centenary Medal for his "service to global conservation and to Australian tourism". He was also nominated in 2004 for Australian of the Year, an honor which was previously won by Australian Cricket Captain Steve Waugh. Shortly before his death, he was to be named an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland's School of Integrative Biology. On November 14, 2007 Irwin was awarded the adjunct professorship posthumously by the University of Queensland.
Production was completed on Ocean's Deadliest, which aired for the first time on te Discovery Channel on January 21, 2007. The documentary was completed with footage shot in the weeks following the accident. According to Stainton, "Anything to do with the day that he died, that film is not available."[6]
Animal Planet, the cable network which had been airing Irwin's show, ended The Crocodile Hunter with a series finale entitled "Steve's Last Adventure." The documentary, which aired on January 21, 2007, 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.
Worldwide memorials
After Irwin's death, the vessel MV Robert Hunter owned by the environmental-action group Sea Shepherd was renamed MV Steve Irwin in his honor.
On January 1, 2007, Glasshouse Mountains Road, the road that runs by Steve and Terri Irwin's Australia Zoo, was officially renamed "Steve Irwin Way."
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. The Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Center in Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary was named by the Kerala government after Irwin.
Animal Planet renamed the garden in front of Discovery's world headquarters in Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland, U.S., to the "Steve Irwin Memorial Sensory Garden." Animal Planet also created 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." Animal Planet also ran a The Crocodile Hunter Diaries marathon on air to pay tribute to Irwin.
The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society ship MV Steve Irwin was named in his honor, christened by his wife Terri, who said "If Steve were alive, he'd be aboard with them!"
A crocodile research center in Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary in India 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 center is now called the Steve Irwin Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Center.
Filmography
Films featuring Irwin include: Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002), and Happy Feet (2006).
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Baker, Trevor. Steve Irwin: The Incredible Life of the Crocodile Hunter. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2006. ISBN 978-1568583495
- Irwin, Steve, and Irwin, Terri. The Crocodile Hunter: The Incredible Life and Adventures of Steve and Terri Irwin. New York: Dutton, 2001. ISBN 978-0525946359
- Irwin, Terri. Steve & Me. New York: Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2007. ISBN 978-1416953883
- Shears, Richard. Wildlife Warrior: Steve Irwin, 1962-2006: A Man Who Changed the World. Sydney, Australia: New Holland, 2006. ISBN 978-1741105520
Notes
- ↑ Denton, Andrew; Irwin, Steve (2003-10-06). ENOUGH ROPE with Andrew Denton - episode 30: Steve Irwin. ABC. Retrieved 4 September, 2006.
- ↑ Tait, Paul (2006-09-04). Australia stunned by death of "modern-day Noah". Reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved 4 September, 2006.
- ↑ Croc hunter Irwin believed he'd die young: wife
- ↑ "Irwin brought joy to millions: PM", The Australian, 2006-09-04. Retrieved 2006-09-04.
- ↑ "Father rejects state funeral for 'ordinary bloke' son", The Age, 2006-09-07. Retrieved 2006-09-07.
- ↑ "Crocodile Hunter's Last Show Completed", International Business Times, 2007-01-06. Retrieved 2007-01-06.
External links
- Australia Zoo's Crocodile Hunter website
- Official Animal Planet website for The Crocodile Hunter
- Huge collection of features and photographs from Daily Telegraph concerning the Irwins
- Steve Irwin at the Open Directory Project
- Steve Irwin at the Internet Movie Database
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Irwin, Stephen Robert |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | crocodile hunter |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Australian environmentalist and television personality |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1962-02-22 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Essendon, Victoria, Australia |
| DATE OF DEATH | 2006-09-04 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Batt Reef, Low Isles off Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia |
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