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Quick Take
The late Steve Irwin had a huge influence on wildlife conservation, which his family continues today.
More than 500 million people watched Steve Irwin’s wildlife documentaries.
The Crocodile Hunter focused on educating people about wildlife and passing his conservation mission on to the next generation.
The Australia Zoo continues its innovative crocodile research methods and conservation work.
Crikey! Nobody loved animals — or inspired such a love of animals in mainstream culture — more than the late Steve Irwin. The Crocodile Hunter’s infectious enthusiasm taught millions of people around the world about the importance of wildlife conservation. Even though he tragically died nearly 20 years ago, Irwin’s life’s work continues through his family, the ongoing work of the Australia Zoo, and the newest generation of Wildlife Warriors.
Steve Irwin’s most important contributions
Irwin grew up with wildlife, and he even caught his first venomous snake at age six, according to Australia Zoo. He grew up in his family’s wildlife park, where he met a tourist named Terri Raines, whom he married eight months later. On their honeymoon in 1992, they embarked on an adventure to relocate a problem crocodile, which they filmed for a documentary. This documentary led to the creation of the hit TV series, The Crocodile Hunter, which began airing in 1996 and was broadcast around the world.
They rebranded their wildlife park as the Australia Zoo in 1998. Today, Terri and their children, Bindi (born in 1998) and Robert (born in 2003), continue to run the zoo. It now covers 700 acres and employs over 500 staff members. Some of Irwin’s conservation highlights over the years include discovering a new turtle species named Irwin’s turtle (Elseya irwini) in 1997, establishing the conservation charity, Wildlife Warriors, in 2002, and creating the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, which rescues, rehabilitates, and releases over 7,000 native Australian animals each year.
Steve Irwin’s enthusiasm for crocodiles and other wildlife has inspired generations of people.
©Sheba_Also (CC-BY-SA-2.0) – Original
(Sheba_Also (CC-BY-SA-2.0))
Irwin developed crocodile capture and study techniques, which remain the best in the world. The Australia Zoo still partners with the University of Queensland and Wildlife Warriors to utilize these techniques and manage the largest and most successful crocodile research project in the world.
Throughout their conservation work, Steve and Terri filmed several documentaries that were seen by over 500 million people worldwide. In a 1998 interview with Reptiles Magazine, Irwin revealed that his active filming of wildlife documentaries was designed to draw people in.
“Typically speaking, there are only a small percentage of people who would watch wildlife documentaries because they’re filmed on a long lens, on a tripod, at a distance,” he said. “Well, we have made some of the greatest documentaries in the world because we get ourselves and the camera involved, because we want to make the audience feel what we feel. We’ve gotta have the sensation of the fierce snake’s tongue coming out! You know, that’s what ya gotta do, if you can’t feel, hear, see, and smell this animal, then you can’t interest people, and you can’t conserve that animal.”
After his death, the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve, a 334,000-acre national reserve in Cape York, was established. The Irwin family visits every year to tag and track crocodiles, providing critical data for scientists and wildlife researchers to aid in their conservation.
“I believe that education is all about being excited about something,” Irwin told Scientific American in March 2001. “Seeing passion and enthusiasm helps push an educational message. That’s the main aim in our entire lives is to promote education about wildlife and wilderness areas, save habitats, save endangered species, etc. So, if we can get people excited about animals, then by crikey, it makes it a heck of a lot easier to save them.”
Ongoing conservation work at Australia Zoo
The Australia Zoo carries the torch of Irwin’s mission through various conservation projects. They provide funding, education, and research for a variety of areas, including the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, Australia Zoo Rescue Unit, crocodile research, Women for Wildlife, Fighting Crimes Against Australian Wildlife, the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve, and more.
In addition, the Australia Zoo funds research into various animals, including whale sharks, manta rays, grey nurse sharks, Sumatran tigers, koalas, Cambodian elephants, cheetahs, and black rhinoceroses, among others.
A new generation of Wildlife Warriors
Irwin always thought about the future, and he hoped his kids and others would carry on his mission of conservation work.
In an interview before his death, he talked about the one thing that would make him want to give up what he was doing. “When my children can take the football that I call wildlife conservation and run it up. When they’re ready to run up our mission, I will gladly step aside. And I guarantee you, it will be the proudest moment of my life,” he said in the video posted on TikTok by his son, Robert Irwin.
With tears in his eyes, he continued, “And my job will [be] done. Then, and only then, will I know that I have achieved my ultimate goal: to be able to stand aside and let them run up my mission.”
Now, Robert and his sister Bindi, along with her husband Chandler Powell and their 5-year-old daughter Grace Warrior, are continuing Steve’s mission by spreading awareness about wildlife conservation in everything they do. Learn more about giving back and promoting conservation just like the Irwins by visiting Australia Zoo’s website.
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