Steve Irwin

Steve Irwin was an Australian wildlife expert, television personality, and conservationist who passed away tragically in an accident at the age of 44. He was widely known as "The Crocodile Hunter" and had a show of the same name. He was around dangerous animals all the time but had admitted to the public his very real fear of parrots. Born in 1962 in Australia and moving to Queensland as a child, Irwin's parents opened up a local Reptile and Fauna Park (renaming it the “Australia Zoo” in 1991) which fostered his love of animals. Steve Irwin's show “The Crocodile Hunter” debuted in Australia in 1996 and became a huge hit. In 1997 Irwin even discovered a new species of turtle and named it “Irwin's Turtle.” In 1998 he hosted the show “The Ten Deadliest Snakes in the World” to great success and in 2002 he starred in a movie entitled “The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course.” In 2001 he was awarded the Centenary award by the Australian government for his service to global conservation and to Australian tourism.