Steve Irwin

Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 1962 - 4 September 2006), known as "The Crocodile Hunter", was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist. Irwin grew up around crocodiles and other reptiles and was educated regarding them by his father Bob. He achieved international fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter (1996–2007), an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series that he co-hosted with his wife Terri. The couple also hosted the series (1999–2001), The Crocodile Hunter Diaries (2002–2006), and New Breed Vets (2005). They also co-owned and operated Australia Zoo, founded by Irwin's parents in Beerwah, about north of the Queensland state capital of Brisbane. They had two children, Bindi and Robert. In 2006, while filming a documentary in Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Irwin died from an injury caused by a stingray. His death became international news and was met with expressions of shock and grief by fans, the media, governments, and non-profit organizations. Numerous parks, zoos, streets, the vessel MY Steve Irwin, the snail species Crikey steveirwini, and the asteroid have been named in his honour. The Irwin family continues to operate Australia Zoo. Stephen Robert Irwin was born on his mother's 20th birthday to Lynette “Lyn” Hakainsson(1942-2000) and Bob Irwin in Upper Ferntree Gully, a suburb of Melbourne. His parents were both of English and Irish descent, with some Swedish on his mother's side. His great-great-grandfather Joseph Irwin from Dublin settled in Tasmania, Australia in the 1870s. He has 2 sisters named Joy and Mandy. He moved with his parents as a child to Queensland in 1970, where he attended Landsborough State School and Caloundra State High School. Irwin described his father as a wildlife expert interested in herpetology, while his mother Lyn 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.