Steve devoted his career to saving
wildlife. The Crocodile Hunter, as
he became known, was Australia’s
wildlife conservation poster boy
until his death in 2006 at the age
of 44. Growing up at his parents’
Beerwah Reptile and Fauna Park
in Queensland, Steve fostered a
special relationship with native
wildlife. He would help his dad
capture ‘problem’ crocs, and later
developed capture-and-care
techniques now used internation-
ally. In the 1990s Steve took over
management of the park with his
wife, Terri, and renamed it
Australia Zoo. Since Steve’s death,
Terri and their children, Bindi and
Bob, have kept his legacy alive.
Today, the zoo funds wildlife
conservation projects to protect
threatened species, while the
1350sq.km Steve Irwin Wildlife
Reserve, on the Cape York
Peninsula, harbours vital wetlands
and rare native species. “I have no
fear of losing my life – if I have to
save a koala or a crocodile or a
kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will
save it,” Steve, once said rather
prophetically. “Yeah, I’m a thrill
seeker, but crikey, education’s the
most important thing.”
Steve Irwin
“I believe our
biggest issue
is...habitat
destruction.”