Steve Irwin Biography

Fast Facts

• Grew up at his parents' Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, where he helped with the daily feeding and care of the animals
• By age 9 was catching crocodiles in the rivers of North Queensland alongside his father
• The only animals he feared were parrots
• Took over management of his parents' park, renamed the Australia Zoo, in 1991
• Met his future wife when she attended a crocodile demonstration at his zoo in 1991; their honeymoon was spent filming the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter
• In the 2002 feature film The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, he and his wife played themselves
• Was killed in 2006 when a poisonous barb from a stingray punctured his heart
• Irwin's father turned down the offer of a state funeral for his son, saying, "He was just an ordinary bloke, and wants to be remembered as an ordinary bloke
• " The family had a private funeral, and then a public memorial service was held for him at Australia Zoo and televised throughout the world
• The Australian government bought land on Cape York Peninsula and designated it the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve as a permanent memorial to him
• Beginning in 2007, Australia Zoo began celebrating Steve Irwin Day every year on November 15th