Becoming a crocodile hunter wasn’t just a career path for Steve Irwin, it was his destiny.
“I was born that way,” he told Yahoo! Australia in 2002. “I had no choice.”
From an early age, Steve accompanied his herpetologist father, Bob Irwin, and his wildlife rehabilitator mother, Lynn Irwin, on their expeditions and helped out at a reptile park in Queensland, Australia. The crocodile was later captured and relocated as part of the government’s public safety and conservation efforts.
In 1991, Steve took over his parents’ reptile park. There he met his wife, Terri Irwin, who was visiting from Oregon. After getting married in 1992, they began filming the documentary series The Crocodile Hunter.
Steve and Terry continued their passion for spreading conservation education through television shows and parks, which grew into Australia Zoo and the parents of daughter Bindi Irwin and son Robert Irwin.
Steve died on September 4, 2006, when a stingray barb entered his heart while filming on the Great Barrier Reef. He was 44 years old. But his legacy lives on through his work and family.
“The thing I’m most proud of personally is my children,” he said in a video shared by Australia Zoo.
