-CRIKEY! It is a word made famous

by one man, the Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. A man who lived in his khakis and spent most of his time darting the bite of a venomous snake, wrestling a nine foot croc or anything else that was, well, simply out of the ordinary. He had an infectious personality that was saturated with enthusiasm and a love for life and wildlife alike.

Childhood Steve grew up loving all wildlife, especially reptiles.

He caught his first venomous snake (a Common Brown) at the tender age of six.

By the time he was nine-years-old, he was helping his dad catch small problem crocodiles hanging around boat ramps by jumping on them in the water and wrestling them back into the dinghy.

In the 1980s Steve spent months on end living in the most remote areas of far North Queensland catching problem crocodiles before they ended up shot by a poacher’s bullet.

By 1980, the family wildlife park was called the ‘Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park’ and where Steve called home.

The place Irwin created is very popular now

A controversial incident occurred during a public show on 2 January 2004, when

Irwin carried his one-month-old son in his arm while hand-feeding a chicken carcass to Murray, a 3.8-metre crocodile. The infant was close to the crocodile, and comparisons were made in the press to Michael Jackson's dangling his son outside a German hotel window. In addition, some child welfare groups and animal rights groups criticised his actions as irresponsible. Irwin apologised on the US NBC show Today

FUN FACTS Steve and Terri filmed their first wildlife documentary

on their honeymoon! That's right, they shared their honeymoon with a camera crew and caught rogue crocs!

Steve and Terri's daughter Bindi Sue was named after Steve's favourite crocodile Bindi and his dog Sui!

Steve's dad gave him a video camera so that he could film himself catching crocs when he was in North Queensland... it was these films that inspired producer John Stainton to start the Croc Hunter series!

Steve’s family tries to make his dreams come true

Irwin’s family nowadays

Honors In 1997, while on a fishing trip on the coast of

Queensland with his father, Irwin discovered a new species of turtle. Later given the honor of naming the newly discovered species, he named it Irwin's turtle

In 2001, Irwin was awarded the Centenary Medal by the Australian government for his "service to global conservation and to Australian tourism“

In 2001, Irwin was awarded the Centenary Medal by the Australian government for his "service to global conservation and to Australian tourism"

The Tragedy On 4 September 2006, Irwin was killed at the age of 44

while snorkelling at Batt Reef (part of the Great Barrier Reef).

Irwin approached a stingray allegedly 8 ft wide in chest-deep water from behind in order to film it swimming away.

According to the only witness to the attack, the fish reacted to Irwin as if a shark was attacking, striking him several hundred times in the body with its tail spine in a few seconds.

Irwin initially believed he only had a punctured lung but the spine had pierced his heart and he bled out

The fish that stroke Irwin several hundred times

Gone but never forgotten

Steve Irwin Day, celebrated each year on 15 November, is an annual international event honouring the life and legacy of the one and only Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin.

On 1 January 2007, Glass House Mountains Road, the road that runs by the Australia Zoo, was officially renamed Steve Irwin Way.

The Australian government announced in July 2007 that a 135,000-hectare national park was being created in northern Queensland and would be named the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve.

References http://www.crocodilehunter.com.au/crocodile_hunter/

about_steve_terri/

http://www.steveirwinday.org/

http://www.biography.com/people/steve-irwin-189158#synopsis

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/05/obituaries/05irwin.html?_r=2&

http://www.australiazoo.com.au/

http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/6309/20140310/details-of-crocodile-hunter-steve-irwins-death-revealed-by-cameraman-video.htm