Who could ever forget the Crocodile Hunter? Between wrestling with alligators, catching snakes and exploring the Australian outdoor life, Steve Irwin did it all! 10 years ago we lost an incredible person who was loved by so many and touched so many lives through the many things he achieved while here on Earth. It’s not hard to remember The Crocodile Hunter because everyone knew his favorite saying, “Crikey!”
Steve, whose real name is Stephen, became known throughout the United States, Australia and the UK after his show the Crocodile Hunter premiered. What many of us did not know, including myself, was that the first episode of the Crocodile Hunter was actually video footage shot on Steve and Terri’s honeymoon! He explored everyday with animals up until the very last day of his life.
What stands out to me the most when I think of the Crocodile Hunter is the man who was really close up to the camera and would talk really fast. He would stand behind these massive alligators and antagonize them and all I could think of was, “This man is crazy!” When watching his show and seeing how he would interact with the animals it was amazing to see how calm he would be with them, especially a massive snake, which I personally hate, but, it seemed easy for Steve to pick one up and just let it slither around.
His love for animals extended down to his daughter, Bindi, so much so she even had her own show which again, I watched as well. Her bright and bubbly personality made the show that much cuter in my opinion. She was his right hand pal. She would come along side of Steve when he would go on a quest and together they would learn about the animals and that animals environment.
He and his daughter had such a unique bond. Not only because he was her dad, but because she shared such an interest and passion for animals like he did. That connected them on a different level.
When Steve died on September 4, 2006, he was actually filming footage for his daughters show. He was swimming in waist deep water and came up on a sting ray. Unfortunately the sting ray started jabbing him and eventually the stab hit his heart, causing him to bleed to death.
I remember it as well as I remember the 9/11 attacks. It was truly heartbreaking to see such an awesome person who not only loved life in general but, loved animals as much as he loved everything else. The world was devastated. Australia mourned the death of Steve and shut down the Australia Zoo for his funeral so that everyone could watch via TV.
The Animal Planet hasn’t been quite the same since losing Steve, but we all know where we can find him. Just look towards the sky and you’ll see him wrestling an alligator two sizes too big and if you listen, you’ll hear him say, “Crikey!”
