The Crocodile Hunter

The Crocodile Hunter was probably the most loved conservationist that this world has ever known, in 2006 my dad came up to me and told me that the Crocodile Hunter was dead, I thought that it was a big joke, then I thought that maybe it was all a publicity stunt, I soon found however that it was all very real…he was gone, he was my favorite television character and really the only conservationist that I really liked to watch.

What Steve Irwin accomplished in his lifetime will probably never be outdone by anybody else, I don’t think that there has ever been a person or ever will be, that has done so much, not only for his country but also for the education of the public in regards to animal conservation…this man was not only popular in Australia, he was renowned all over the world, he had become a legend. His happy enthusiastic way of approaching animal conservation, and life in general, endeared him to people’s hearts.

By some people he was condemned for manhandling animals, for stressing them out and so on, but if their ways are so much better then why did they never get the fame and recognition that Steve Irwin had?

Steve Irwin was a true Australian, he was born into a family of conservationist so I think that it was only natural that he would fallow in his parents footsteps, the first time that he wrestled a crocodile was when he was nine years old (under his father’s supervision of course) and he soon went on to capture crocodiles that ended up in over populated areas, he did his work for free with the agreement that all the crocodiles that he captured could be taken to the Australia Zoo (a family owned zoo).

He started to appear on television and that is when he started to win the hearts and minds of the people, his characteristic khaki shorts, his "Crikey" and his love and enthusiasm for the animals that he worked with, soon won the public over.

One thing that I always greatly appreciated about him was the fact that he would tell about the animal, but he would never go into how the crocodile or whatever evolved over millions of years and so on, he would present the animal tell you about it, point out interesting features and then release him back into the wild…the whole time he would actually entertain you, not bore you like so many of the television programs on animal planet.

The Crocodile Hunter lent his voice to the movie Happy Feet and he also appeared in the Eddie Murphy movie," Doctor Do Little". There was only one movie where he was the star performer and the name of that movie is "Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course"; in this movie a crocodile (of course) swallows a transmitter that is very important to the CIA and while they are trying to get it back, the Crocodile Hunter mistakes them for poachers…it is an entertaining movie that is worth watching if you are a Steve Irwin fan.

In the last couple of years before his death the Crocodile Hunter’s, oh so cute, daughter started appearing on her father’s shows and she even hosted a couple of her own…when she says on camera, "what should I say now mommy" I just about died laughing…but to think that she will grow up without her dad is tragic.

There are rumors of the Crocodile Hunter joining a church shortly before he died, but they have never been confirmed…on one of his shows though he does say that it is his firm belief that God put him on this earth for the sole purpose of helping the animals…so was he saved? I guess we can’t know for now…but we will eventually find out…the moment we will also cross the Jordan of our lives. For him, this was so unexpected and tragic…how can we know it won’t happen to us tomorrow?

Since his death, there have been many things done in his honor, but I believe that what we can do to best remember him and what he lived for, would be to love and take care of the natural world around us.