The Crocodile Hunter - Steve Irwin

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The Crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin, was in fact an environmentalist, herpetologist and controversial Australian TV presenter.

He was born in Essendon, Victoria, known as an adventurer, brave and full of vitality and excitement of a big kid.

Son of a no less enthusiast environmentalist, he had his first major encounter with a crocodile at 6 years, at which time his parents also gave him as a gift on his birthday, a python snake over three meters in length, called Fred.

Before he was ten, his father had taught him to jump on crocodiles, and capture the deadly snakes without harming them or being bitten.

It was the director, and also a TV producer John Stainton, who decided that the adventures of his brave friend, in the Australian jungle should be recorded for posterity.

Thus was born the famous Crocodile Hunter (1992), the first in a long series of television documentaries that have captivated more than 200 million viewers in over 120 countries. After 10 years documenting for TV, his passion for crocodiles, especially on the channel Animal Planet, he reached the big screen in the movie The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course (2002) a mix of adventure and comedy, in which also participated as actors Terri Irwin, Magda Szubanski and David Wenham.

During one of his demonstrations in his zoo was criticized when approaching a crocodile with one of his sons, still a baby, in the arms. The baby, one month old, was his son Robert, and stood at a distance of about one meter of the crocodile (2004).

In June of that year, he was sued by an Australian court, accused of changing the lives of animals such as penguins and whales during a documentary on Antarctica, but was acquitted. He founded a zoo that also housed his home and also created a foundation for the protection of wildlife and sponsored a hospital for wild animals.

He took part in the movie Dr. Dolittle 2 with Eddie Murphy, about a veterinarian who can talk to animals. He died at age 44, in Batt Reef, near Low Island, close Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia, during the production of a documentary about marine animals.

The Crocodile Hunter had his heart pierced by the sting from the tail of a giant manta ray species, when he was diving and tried to to ride it. The sting is a big spine very sharp and serrated, composed of a bone material. The presenter, was married to Terri Irwin and they had two children, Bindi Sue and Robert Clarence.

The Crocodile Hunter - Videos

See also:

Facts about crocodiles for kids
Where crocodiles live
Where do alligators live
Alligator facts for kids

Did you know?

There only are 2 different species of alligators found in the world.