The crocodiles are shedding tears and the koalas are blue ... Australia mourns, but it's the earth's loss, as the entire world stood in shock at the news that Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin was gone.
More than a television star or an entertainer, Steve Irwin was a
true hero to countless people the world over, and a true friend to
every animal alive.
Known for his trademark khaki shorts, happy-go-lucky manner and adding "Crikey!" and "Look at this beauty!" to everyday language, he was a wildlife warrior who never waivered in his opposition to the hunting of any animal, nor in his committment to educating people about wildlife.
Steve Irwin was born in Essendon in Victoria, Australia, on
February 22, 1962. In 1970, his parents founded the Queensland
Reptile and Fauna Park, later to become the Australia Zoo, on the
country's Sunshine Coast. The park specialized in rehabilitating ill
or injured baby kangaroos, wallabies, wombats and koalas, and Steve
grew up surrounded by wildlife.
When his father, Bob, decided to do something about the hunting which threatened to destroy Australia's crocodile population, Steve played his part, working for Australia's Crocodile Relocation Programme which captured and moved the reptiles to safer areas, often to their Australia Zoo.
Despite his often light-hearted manner, Steve's commitment to protecting crocodiles was serious. "Every chance I get, I will put my life on the line to save crocs," he told one interviewer.
Steve met Terri Raines, of Eugene, Oregon, in 1991 when she came to
the zoo as a tourist. The two were married soon afterwards.
Television director John Stainton first met Steve while shooting an commercial at Australia Zoo, and immediately realized that he had a star on his hands. The first episode of Stainton's show, The Crocodile Hunter, was built around a crocodile trapping trip that Steve & Terri did on their honeymoon. The Discovery Channel bought the program in 1996.
A diehard conservationalist, Steve Irwin saw his mission in life was a to education people about animals. "If you can’t get wilds into people’s hearts", he said, "then we haven’t got a hope in heck of saving them — because people don’t want to save something they don’t know."
He fulfilled his mission as an environmentalist by creating International Crocodile Rescue and the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation — which later became an independent charity and was renamed Wildlife Warriors Worldwide.
Steve Irwin died during underwater filming at the age of 44 after
a stingray barb pierced his heart. Marine experts called the death
a freak accident. They said rays reflexively deploy a sharp spine
in their tails when frightened, but the venom coating the barb
usually just causes a very painful sting for humans.
Steve Irwin is survived by his wife Terri, daughter Bindi, 8, and son Bob, who will turn 3 in December.
Click on the Memorial Card below to see Cheddar Bay's Memorial Slide Show on Steve Irwin's life:
WOULD STEVE
HAVE WANTED THIS?
Several stingrays have been slain since Steve Irwin was killed.
The Wildlife Warrior's charity is urging people to not take revenge
on the animals.
Michael Hornby, the executive director of Irwin's Wildlife Warriors conservation group, said he was concerned the rays were being hunted and killed in retaliation for Steve's death.
"It may be some sort of retribution, or it may be fear from certain individuals, or it just may be yet another callous act toward wildlife," he said.
He said killing stingrays was "not what Steve was about."
"We are disgusted and disappointed that people would take this sort of action to hurt wildlife," he said.
Stingrays are usually shy, unobtrusive fish that rummage the sea bottom for food or burrow into the sand.
They have a serrated spine up to 10 inches long on their tails, which they can lash when stepped on or otherwise frightened. It is now known that Steve Irwin was doing absolutely nothing to taunt the stingray, but it might have been frightened by a shadow.
The spines emit toxins that can kill many small creatures and cause excruciating pain in humans. Few people have died from the poison, but the spines can badly tear flesh and the wounds are prone to infections, including tetanus.
Hornby said people should treat stingrays with caution, but "there is still no need to ... kill or mutilate these important animals."
Stingrays are beautiful living creatures, and their death is NOT what Steve Irwin would have wanted!
Please visit the following links to learn more about how YOU can carry on Steve Irwin's mission to help all animals:
