Crikey! Come on out and celebrate an interesting character. Bring your khakis, bring your crocodiles (make sure they're muzzled!), don't bring a knife (that's the other guy).
Steve Irwin Day celebrates the life and times of beloved Australian zookeeper, Steve Irwin. Stephen Robert Irwin was born on February 22, 1960, in a home full of animals to parents who were in love with wildlife. His father was a wildlife expert and herpetologist and his mother was a wildlife rehabilitator who took care of injured or orphaned animals from snakes to kangaroos.
In 1970, Steve’s family moved to Queensland, where they opened a reptile park they called Beerwah Reptile and Fauna Park. Over the years, the name changed to Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park. Today, the park is known as the Australia Zoo, the zoo that created Steve Irwin Day in 2007.
Steve Irwin might not have had a degree in wildlife, but he certainly had a lifetime of knowledge and experience. Like a real-life Mowgli or Tarzan, Steve grew up surrounded by animals. When he turned six, he was given a 12-foot python. By age nine, he wrestled his first crocodile with supervision from his father.
In 1991, he got married to a woman who loved wildlife almost as much as he did, and it was footage from his honeymoon (which was spent trapping crocodiles) that formed the first episode of the TV series that brought him his fame, “The Crocodile Hunter.” The series pushed Steve Irwin into the public eye, and he became a beloved pop culture icon.
On September 4, 2006, Steve Irwin was on a diving expedition filming for “Ocean’s Deadliest” when a stingray pierced his heart and killed him. His public memorial service was viewed by over 300 million views worldwide.