Steve Erwin was a vegetarian

A native of Melbourne, Australia, Stephen Robert Irwin exhibited an acute interest in animals at an early age as he grew up on a wildlife park owned by his parents. As early as the age of 6, he was already wrangling dangerous animals, like venomous snakes. As he became more familiar with Australian wildlife , Irwin began his formal career with wildlife, which involved trapping crocodiles and transferring them to his family’s zoo for safe keeping. The family zoo was later given to Irwin by his parents, and he avidly developed the area, later renaming it the Australian Zoo.

His enthusiasm for gaining knowledge about the Australian wildlife grew into his notable career as the “Crocodile Hunter”. His passion for wildlife landed him a popular television show that paralleled his courageous exploration of the Australian countryside and its myriad of animals and other creatures. Irwin also appeared on several major talk shows and starred as the center for several merchandise creations. His family, wife Terri and children Bindi and Robert were also involved in the wildlife effort. Despite his avid work with animals as well as his contribution to conservation, Irwin was considered most well-known for his enthusiastic personality. He has been described as having an unparalleled zeal for life that just made him and his work fun.

‘The Crocodile Hunter’ Premieres

Irwin met American-born Terri Raines, who in was in Australia on vacation, in 1991. The couple later married and spent part of their honeymoon filming crocodiles. This footage became part of their 1992 Australian TV show The Crocodile Hunter. Four years later, the series was picked up by the American cable network Animal Planet. At the peak of its popularity, the show aired in more than 200 countries.

Audiences were often spellbound by Irwin’s dangerous encounters with animals on the series. He thought nothing of tangling with deadly snakes, spiders, lizards, and, of course, crocodiles. In addition to his hair-raising adventures, Irwin considered himself a wildlife educator, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for animals with his viewers.

Always in his trademark khaki shirt and shorts, Irwin became a well-known figure in popular culture. He even had his own catchphrase—”Crikey!”—an Australian expression of surprise or excitement. There have been countless parodies and spoofs of the famed adventurer—even The Simpsons and South Park featured send-ups of Irwin. He wasn’t afraid to poke fun at his image as an energetic naturalist and showman. Irwin appeared as himself in the 2001 film Dr. Dolittle 2 with Eddie Murphy. The following year, Irwin and his wife starred in their own film, The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course.

Wildlife Warrior

Irwin and his new bride spent their 1992 honeymoon in Northern Australia, camping and trapping crocodiles for relocation. Through the auspices of old friend and television producer John Stainton, a film of the working vacation became the first episode of Crocodile Hunter . The program was picked up by the Discovery Channel and Irwin was soon an international celebrity.

The huge success of Crocodile Hunter was, of course, dependent on its star. Irwin, clad in his trademark khaki shorts and shirt, was full of boyish enthusiasm for the scary creatures. Crocodiles, venomous snakes and lizards, scorpions, and spiders were among the less than cuddly wildlife he championed. Sometimes caressing them, and tussling with others, he always met the animals in their own environments.

He spoke in a thick Australian accent and peppered his sentences with such catchphrases as “By Crikey!” and “Look at this beauty.” It was dangerous work, but Irwin had an abiding respect for his co-stars. As he told the Houston Chronicle , “If you see me getting bitten by something, it’s my mistake. I knew what I was up against went I went in with that animal, and sometimes my reflexes are a little slow or there’s an oversight on my part.” Such mishaps, however, were comparatively few.

Wildlife Warrior

By 2006, Irwin’s program (by then airing on cable television’s Animal Planet) was being seen by approximately 500 million people in more than 120 countries. He had branched out onto the silver screen as well, with an appearance in Eddie Murphy’s Doctor Doolittle and a starring role (with his wife) in The Crocodile Hunters: Collision Course (both 2002). Neither was a critical success, but Hollywood was not really Irwin’s natural habitat anyway. Commenting on movie studio executives to Richard Deitsch of Sports Illustrated in 2002, Irwin said, “These land sharks in Hollywood, you don’t know who they are. They’re camouflaged in black Armani suits.”

Rather, to Irwin, the whole purpose was preserving the animals and their environment. He donated $1 million a year to his charity, Wildlife Warriors, and bought up tracts of land all over Australia to return them to their natural state. He viewed his television programs as ways to get people familiar with and excited about the animals he loved. As he put it to the Houston Chronicle in 2000, “What makes us [Irwin and his wife] tick—our gift to the world—is conservation. We eat, sleep and live for conservation. That’s all we’re about, that’s what we’re up to, that’s our game. And we will die defending wildlife and wilderness areas. That’s our passion.”

Bindi’s favorite foods are vegetarian