Wildlife Warrior

Steve Irwin and the Price of Passion

Caylin Grosse
Jul 23, 2017 · 4 min read
Steve Irwin demonstrating his reptile-handling skills. Or a TV personality foolishly provoking a dangerous animal. It’s complicated.

What did you want for your birthday when you were a young child? Maybe you’re thinking, “Oh, I was super into this one doll,” or maybe “I really liked Hot Wheels,” but if at any time you thought of the words massive snake, you may have some tiny familiarity with the life devotion of Steve Irwin. On his sixth birthday, Lyn and Bob Irwin gifted their son a 12-ft scrub python- nearly four times the average six year old- that he fondly name “Fred.” This was the first link in a long chain of vigor vs. risk that characterized Irwin’s life (and death).

Steve Irwin, famously known as the “Crocodile Hunter” grew up in Queensland, Australia, where his parents — two devoted reptile handlers themselves — first introduced him to his future career in their small, family-run park. Like any kid born into a family business, Irwin worked in the family trade, yet over time he developed a strong love for naturalism that he later built his life and career upon. However, with such a high stakes occupation such as handling deadly, sometimes venomous, sometimes twice-your-size animals, is it worth following your passion if it could mean your death? For Steve Irwin, that question didn’t exist.

“I don’t want to seem arrogant or bigheaded, but I have a real instinct with animals. I’ve grown up with them … It’s like I have an uncanny supernatural force rattling around my body. I tell you what, mate, it’s magnetism.” -Steve Irwin

By far, Irwin was strongest on his television show, The Crocodile Hunter. Through the Animal Planet staple, Irwin appeared to families as the beloved naturalist who gave an organic, unconventional approach to wildlife (and whose catchphrase was “Crikey!”). His show was borne from a need to convey and convince families, mainly children, to pursue a career in nature or aid in conservation efforts. Dealing with snakes, crocs, and other often deadly animals, Irwin tried to get people to, “understand those things that many people thought were a nuisance at best, a horror at worst”.

Undoubtedly, Irwin had done a great deal of good deeds in his life. A self-proclaimed “Wildlife Warrior,” Irwin contributed to many conservation efforts, including starting his own: The Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation. Through his foundation, he built one of Australia’s largest wildlife hospitals and lead massive, worldwide campaigns to protect endangered species all the way from elephants in Asia to orangutans in Sumatra. He battled land clearing, even going as far to buy large tracts of land that he would leave untouched, dubbing them “national parks”. While everyone is passionate about something, Steve Irwin had the means, star power, and dedication to translate his passion into fruitful actions.

However, like any star, his life was not immune to controversy. In one notable case, he held a chicken carcass in front of 12.5-ft crocodile in order to get it to beg in front of masses of spectators- a typical act of his, if he hadn’t been holding his one-month-old son Robert in his other hand. Additionally, he received numerous complaints concerning animal cruelty and disrupting nature while filming Ice Breaker, an Antarctica-based documentary. Critics claimed that he “antagonized wild animals,” provoking them for some views as a “cheap TV personality.” People questioned Irwin’s integrity as a naturalist and criticized him for his unbridled love for provoking lethal animals.

“I have no fear of losing my life — if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it.” -Steve Irwin

Irwin was stationed in Batt Reef when inclement weather halted production in the filming of the Documentary Ocean’s Deadliest. During a short lull in the storm, he decided to snorkel and film some footage for his daughter Bindi’s budding TV show. It was in those waters of Batt Reef that he was stabbed multiple times with the razor tail of a stingray and died shortly after. This tragedy has been regarded as a terrible, unforeseen accident, but considering it all, did his passion drive him to fly too close to the sun, or in this case, provoke a cornered stingray? Is he a zealous martyr in the name of education, or a reckless thrill junkie that finally pushed his luck a bit too far?

Irwin in his element, filming “The Crocodile Hunter”

Whether you believe he ran with it too far or not, in the end, no one can deny that Irwin loved what he did. His passion now lives on in his two children: Robert and Bindi (who you may have seen on her own show: Bindi the Jungle Girl). Nonetheless, we must remember that even with passion behind us, “living on the edge” seals the inevitable fate that one day, like Steve Irwin, we must fall off.

(Left to Right) Robert, Terri, and Bindi Irwin

Commit to Serve

2017 UGA Freshman College — Service Learning

Caylin Grosse

Written by

Dogs, politics, and final jeopardy

Commit to Serve

2017 UGA Freshman College — Service Learning

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