In honour of Steve Irwin

Stephen Robert Irwin (Steve Irwin), known better as The Crocodile Hunter was an Australian conservationist, zookeeper and television personality. Today’s Google Doodle remembers him on his 57th birth anniversary. Irwin co-hosted The Crocodile Hunter with his wife Terri which was a wildlife documentary series broadcast internationally. The show made Irwin famous internationally and earned him the nickname ‘The Crocodile hunter’. Irwin’s interest in wildlife was a gift from his parents, both of whom were wildlife experts. His father was interested in herpetology whereas his mother was a wildlife rehabilitator.

They ran a small Queensland reptile and fauna park, where Steve grew up with crocodiles and other reptiles. When just nine, he had learnt how to handle crocodiles from his father and wrestled the first crocodile. Steve also volunteered for a Queensland crocodile management program and captured more than 100 crocodiles for rehabilitation. Apart from the Crocodile Hunter, Irwin also worked in several more TV shows and films. He played a cameo role in Eddie Murphy’s Dr Dolittle 2.

Irwin enthusiastically remained a part of several media campaigns and promoted environmentalism passionately. He received several honours during his life including the centenary medal from the Australian government in 2001 and the Queensland Greats Awards in 2015 posthumously. His death in 2016, was caused by a stingray and shocked people all around the world. Today’s Google Doodle celebrates the contribution of the environmentalist through glimpses from his life including his wrestling with a croc and his life at the Australian zoo.