stephen robert irwin fff bun

8/3/2019 Stephen Robert Irwin Fff Bun

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Liceul Teoretic I.C. Drguanu

Lucrare pentru obinerea certificatului de competen lingvistic

- Limba englez -

Profesor coordonator :Hane Angela-Eleonora

Absolvent:Sofonea Sorina

Victoria

- 2008 -


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Table of Contents

Argument ............................................................................................................................. 4Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 51 Early years of life ..............................................................................................................62 Career ................................................................................................................................7

2.1 Rise to fame ............................................................................................................... 72.2 Film ............................................................................................................................82.3 Animal Planet and later projects ................................................................................82.4 Media work ................................................................................................................ 92.5 Honours ....................................................................................................................102.6 Environmentalism ....................................................................................................10

3 Personal life .................................................................................................................... 123.1 Family ...................................................................................................................... 123.2 Controversies ...........................................................................................................123.3 Politics ......................................................................................................................133.4 Search and rescue effort in Mexico .........................................................................133.5 Sports fan ................................................................................................................. 143.6 Other personal trivia ................................................................................................ 14

4 Death ...............................................................................................................................164.1 Reaction ...................................................................................................................18

5 Criticism ..........................................................................................................................205.1 Backlash against stingrays ....................................................................................... 20

6 Funeral and memorials ....................................................................................................226.1 Memorial service ..................................................................................................... 226.2 Other Australian memorials .....................................................................................236.3 American memorials ................................................................................................236.4 Indian memorial .......................................................................................................246.5 Death anniversary ....................................................................................................24

Conclusion .........................................................................................................................26Bibliography ......................................................................................................................27

2


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Stephe n Rober t Irw in

Steve Irwin in Australia

Born 22 February1962, Essendon, Victoria, Australia

Died4 September 2006, (aged 44), Batt Reef, Queensland,Australia

Occupation

NaturalistZoologistConservationistTelevision Personality

Spouse Terri Irwin

ChildrenBindi Sue IrwinRobert (Bob) Clarence Irwin

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1 Ea r l y yea rs o f l ifeBorn on his mother's birthday to Lyn and Bob Irwin in

Essendon, a suburb ofMelbourne, Victoria, Irwin moved with his

parents as a child to Queensland in 1970. Irwin described his father

as a wildlife expert interested in herpetology whilst his mother Lyn

was a wildlife rehabilitator. After moving to Queensland, Bob and Lyn Irwin started the

small Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, where Steve grew up around crocodiles and

otherreptiles.

Irwin became involved with the park in a number of ways, including taking part

in daily animal feeding, as well as care and maintenance activities. On his sixth birthday

he was given a 12-foot scrub python. He began handling crocodiles at the age of nine

after his father had educated him on reptiles from an early age. Also at age nine he

wrestled his first crocodile, again under his father's supervision. He graduated from

Caloundra State High School in 1979. He soon moved to Northern Queensland, where he

became a crocodile trapper, removing crocodiles from populated areas where they were

considered a danger. He performed the service for free with the quid pro quo that he be

allowed to keep them for the park. Irwin followed in his father's footsteps, becoming a

volunteer for the Queensland Government's East Coast Crocodile Management program.

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2 C a r e e r2.1 Rise to fame

Irwin feeding a crocodile atAustralia Zoo.

The park was a family run business, until it was turned over to Irwin. He took

over the running of the park, now called Australia Zoo (renaming it in 1992). Also that

year, he appeared in a one-off reptile and wildlife special for television. In 1991, he met

Terri Raines at the park, whilst performing a demonstration. The two married in June

1992, in Eugene, Oregon. The footage, shot by John Stainton, of their crocodile-trapping

honeymoon became the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter. The series debuted on

Australian TV screens in 1996, and by the following year had made its way onto North

American television. The Crocodile Hunterbecame successful in the United States and

also, after repackaging by Partridge Films for ITV, in the UK. In 1998, he continued,

working with producer and directorMark Strickson, to present The Ten Deadliest Snakes

in the World. By 1999, he had become very popular in the United States, making his first

appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. By this time, the Crocodile Hunter

series was now broadcast in over 137 countries, reaching 500 million people. His

exuberant and enthusiastic presenting style, broad Australian accent, signature khaki

shorts, and catchphrase "Crikey!" became known worldwide. Sir David Attenborough

praised Irwin for introducing many to the natural world, saying "He taught them how

wonderful and exciting it was, he was a born communicator.

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Under Irwin's leadership, the operations grew to include the zoo,

the television series, the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation (renamed

Wildlife Warriors), and the International Crocodile Rescue.

Improvements to the Australia Zoo include the Animal Planet

Crocoseum, the rainforest aviary and Tiger Temple. Irwin mentioned

that he was considering opening an Australia Zoo in Las Vegas,Nevada, and possibly at

other sites around the world.

2.2 Film

In 2001, Irwin appeared in a cameo role in the Eddie Murphy filmDr. Dolittle 2,

in which a crocodile warns Dolittle that he knows Irwin is going to grab him and is

prepared to attack when he does, but Dolittle fails to warn Irwin in time. Irwin's only

starring feature film role was in 2002's The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course, which

was released to mixed reviews. In the film Irwin (who portrayed himself and performed

numerous stunts) mistakes some CIA agents for poachers. He sets out to stop them from

capturing a crocodile, which, unknown to him, has actually swallowed a tracking

transmitter. The film won the Best Family Feature Film award for a comedy film at the

Young Artist Awards. The film was produced on a budget of about

$12 million, and has grossed $33 million. To promote the film,

Irwin was featured in an animated short produced by Animax

Entertainment for Intermix.

In 2002, the Irwins appeared in the Wiggles video/DVD release Wiggly Safari,

which was set in Irwin's Australia Zoo. It featured Irwin-themed songs written and

performed by the Wiggles such as "Crocodile Hunter", "Australia Zoo", "Snakes (You

can look but you better not touch)" and "We're The Crocodile Band". Irwin was featured

prominently on the cover and throughout the movie.

In 2006, Irwin provided his voice for the 2006 animated filmHappy Feet, as an

elephant seal named Trev. The film was dedicated to Irwin, as he died during post-

production. Another, previously incomplete scene, featuring Steve providing the voice of

an Albatross and essentially playing himself, was restored to the DVD release.

2.3 Animal Planet and later projects

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Animal Planet ended The Crocodile Hunterwith a series finale entitled "Steve's

Last Adventure." The last Crocodile Hunter documentary spanned three hours with

footage of Irwin's across-the-world adventure in locations including the Himalayas, the

Yangtze River, Borneo, and the Kruger National Park. Irwin went on to star in other

Animal Planet documentaries, including The Croc Files, The Crocodile Hunter Diaries,

and New Breed Vets. As a part of the United States' "Australia Week" celebrations in

January 2006, Irwin appeared at the Pauley Pavilion, UCLA in Los Angeles, California.

During an interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Irwin announced that

Discovery Kids would be developing a show for his daughter, Bindi Sue Irwin.[10] The

show, Jungle Girl, was tipped to be similar to The Wiggles movies, with songs that

surround a story. A feature-length episode of Australian kids TV show The Wiggles

entitled "Wiggly Safari" appears dedicated to Irwin, and he's featured in it heavily with

his wife and daughter. The show includes the song "Crocodile Hunter, Big Steve Irwin".

In 2006, the American networkThe Travel Channel had begun to show a series of

specials starring Irwin and his family as they travelled on cross-country tours.

2.4 Media work

A poster from Irwin's Quarantine Matters! campaign.

Irwin was also involved in several media campaigns. He

enthusiastically joined with the Australian Quarantine and

Inspection Service to promote Australia's strict quarantine/customs

requirements, with advertisements and posters featuring slogans

such as, "Quarantine Matters! Don't muck with it". His payments

for these advertising campaigns were directed into his wildlife fund.

In 2004, he was appointed ambassador forThe Ghan, the passenger train running

from Adelaide to Alice Springs in the central Australian outback, when the line was

extended all the way to Darwin on the northern coast that year. For some time he was

sponsored by Toyota.

He was also a keen promoter for Australian tourism in general and Queensland

tourism in particular. In 2002, the Australia Zoo was voted Queensland's top tourist

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attraction. His immense popularity in the United States meant he often promoted

Australia as a tourist destination there.

2.5 Honours

In 2001, Irwin was awarded the Centenary Medal for his "serviceto global conservation and to Australian tourism". In 2004, he was

recognised as Tourism Export of the Year. He was also nominated in

2004 forAustralian of the Year, an honour which was won by Australian

Cricket Captain Steve Waugh. Shortly before his death, he was to be

named an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland's School of

Integrative Biology. On 14 November 2007 Irwin was awarded the adjunct professorship

posthumously by the University of Queensland. In May 2007, the Rwandan Government

announced that it would name a baby gorilla after Steve Irwin as a tribute to his work in

wildlife conservation. The Crocodile Rehabilitation and Research Centre in Neyyar

Wildlife Sanctuary was named by the Kerala government after late Steve Irwin..

2.6 Environmentalism

Irwin was a passionate conservationist and believed in promoting

environmentalism by sharing his excitement about the natural world rather than

preaching to people. He was concerned with conservation ofendangered animals and

land clearing leading to loss of habitat. He considered conservation to be the most

important part of his work: "I consider myself a wildlife warrior. My mission is to save

the world's endangered species." Irwin bought "large tracts of land" in Australia,

Vanuatu, Fiji and the United States, which he described as "like national parks" and

stressed the importance of people realising that they could each make a difference.

He had urged people to take part in considerate tourism and not support illegal

poaching through the purchase of items such as turtle shells orshark-fin soup.

He founded the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation, which was later renamed

Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, and became an independent charity. He was described

after his death by the CEO ofRSPCA Queensland as a "modern-day Noah," and British

naturalist David Bellamy lauded his skills as a natural historian and media performer.

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Irwin and his father discovered a new species of turtle that now bears his name,

Elseya irwini Irwin's Turtle a species of turtle found on the coast of Queensland.

He also helped to found a number of other projects, such as the International

Crocodile Rescue, as well as the Lyn Irwin Memorial Fund, in memory of his mother

(who was in a fatal car crash in 2000), with proceeds going to the Iron

Bark Station Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.

Irwin, however, was criticised for having an unsophisticated

view ofconservation in Australia that seemed more linked to tourism

than to the problems Australia faces as a continent.

In response to questions of Australia's problems with overgrazing, salinity, and

erosion, Irwin responded, "Cows have been on our land for so long that Australia has

evolved to handle those big animals." The Sydney Morning Herald concluded with the

opinion that his message was confusing and amounted to "eating roos and crocs is bad for

tourism, and therefore more cruel than eating other animals".

According to Terri, Sir David Attenborough was an inspiration to Irwin. When

presenting a Lifetime Achievement Award to Attenborough after Irwin's death at the

British National Television Awards on October 31, 2006 Terri stated "If there's one

person who directly inspired my husband it's the person being honoured tonight." She

went on to say "[Steve's] real, true love was conservation - and the influence of tonight's

recipient in preserving the natural world has been immense." Sir David reciprocated with

praising Irwin for introducing many to the natural world, saying "He taught them how

wonderful and exciting it was, he was a born communicator."

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3 Per son a l l i fe3.1 Family

Terri Raines Irwin, the widow of Steve Irwin

In 1992, Irwin married Terri Raines from Eugene,

Oregon, United States. The pair had met a few months

earlier, when Terri had visited the zoo on a holiday;

according to both of them, it was love at first sight. Terri said at the time, "I thought there

was no one like this anywhere in the world. He sounded like an environmental Tarzan, a

larger-than-life superhero guy." Together they had two children: a daughter, Bindi Sue

Irwin (born July 24, 1998), and a son, Robert Clarence "Bob" (named after Irwin's father)

Irwin (born December 1, 2003). Bindi Sue is jointly named after two of Steve Irwin's

favourite animals: Bindi, a saltwater crocodile, and Sui, a Staffordshire Bull Terrierwho

died in June 2004.

Irwin was as enthusiastic about his family as he was about his work. He once

described his daughter Bindi as "the reason [he] was put on the Earth." His wife once

said, "The only thing that could ever keep him away from the animals he loves are the

people he loves even more."

Terri Irwin recently reported that Steve had an ongoing premonition that he would

die before he reached age 40. She is writing about this in her upcoming book about her

life with Steve.

3.2 Controversies

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

Irwin carried his one-month-old son, Bob, in his arm whilst hand-feeding a chicken carcass to Murray, a 3.8-metre (12.5-foot)

saltwater 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, child welfare groups, animal rights

groups, and some of Irwin's television viewers criticised his actions as irresponsible and

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tantamount to child abuse. Irwin apologised on the US NBC Today Show. Both he and

his wife publicly stated that Irwin was in complete control of the situation, as he had dealt

with crocodiles since he was a small child, and based on his lifetime of experience neither

he nor his son were in any danger. He also showed footage of the event shot from a

different angle, demonstrating that they were much further from the crocodile than they

had appeared in the publicised clip. Terri Irwin claimed their child was in no more danger

than one being taught to swim. No charges were filed; according to one journalist, Irwin

told officials he would not repeat the action. The incident prompted the Queensland

government to change its crocodile-handling laws, banning children and untrained adults

from entering crocodile enclosures.

In June 2004, allegations were made that he disturbed wildlife (namely whales,

seals andpenguins) whilst filming a documentary,Ice Breaker, in Antarctica. The matter

was subsequently closed without charges being filed.

3.3 Politics

After questions arose about Irwin being paid $175,000

worth of taxpayers' money to appear in a television advertisement

and his possible political ties, Irwin told ABC that he was a

conservationist and did not choose sides in politics.

His comments describing Australian Prime Minister John

Howard as the "greatest leader in the world" earned him scorn in the media.

3.4 Search and rescue effort in Mexico

In November 2003, Irwin was filming a documentary on sea

lions off the coast ofMexico's Baja California Peninsula when he heard

via his boat's radio that two scuba divers were reported missing in the

area. Irwin and his entire crew suspended operations to aid in the search.

His team's divers searched with the rescue divers, and Irwin used his

vessel to patrol the waters around the island where the incident

occurred, as well as using his satellite communications system to call in a rescue plane.

On the second day of the search, kayakers found one of the divers, Scott Jones, perched

on a narrow rock ledge jutting out from the side of a cliff. Irwin and a crewmember

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escorted him to Irwin's boat. Jones did not recognise his celebrity rescuer, as he had never

seen Irwin on television. The other lost diver, Katie Vrooman, was found dead by a

search plane later the same day not far from Jones' location.

3.5 Sports fanHaving grown up in Essendon, Irwin was a fan of the

Essendon Bombers, an Australian rules football club in the

Australian Football League. Irwin took part in an Australian Rules

football promotion in Los Angeles as part of "Australia Week" in

early 2006. After his death, a picture of Irwin wearing a Bombers Guernsey was shown

by ESPN.com in their Bottom 10 ranking of the worst Division I-A college football

teams after Week 1 of the season in tribute to him.

Living in Queensland most of his life, Irwin was also a fan ofrugby league. As a

teenager, he played for the Caloundra Sharks as a second-rower, and as an adult he was

known to be a passionate Brisbane Broncos fan and was involved with

the club on several occasions. On one occasion after turning up to

training he asked if he could tackle the largest player, Shane Webcke.

Despite being thrown to the ground and looking like he'd been crushed

he was jovial about the experience. Irwin laughingly shared the experience with the

Queensland State of Origin squad before the 2006 series. Irwin also supported rugby

union, being a fan of the national team, the Wallabies. He once wore Wallaby jersey

during a demonstration at the zoo. A behind-the-scenes episode ofThe Crocodile Hunter

showed Irwin and the crew finding a gas station in a remote part ofNamibia to watch the

Wallabies defeat France in the 1999 Rugby World Cup Final. Irwin was also a talented

surfer.

3.6 Other personal trivia

Irwin was particularly interested in Singapore Zoo, which he

considered a sister institution of the Australia Zoo.

Irwin loved mixed martial arts competitions and trained with Greg

Jackson in the fighting/grappling system ofGaidojutsu.

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4 D e a thCrocodile Hunter's Steve Irwin dies at 44

On September 4, 2006, Irwin was fatally pierced in the

chest by a stingray spine whilst snorkeling at the Great Barrier

Reef, at Batt Reef, which is located off the coast ofPort Douglas

in Queensland. Irwin was in the area filming his own

documentary, Ocean's Deadliest, but weather had stalled filming. Irwin decided to take

the opportunity to film some shallow water shots for a segment in the television program

his daughter Bindi was hosting, when, according to his friend and colleague, John

Stainton, he swam too close to one of the stingrays. "He came on top of the stingray and

the stingray's barb went up and into his chest and put a hole into his heart," said Stainton,

who was on board Irwin's boat the Croc One.

The events were caught on camera, and a copy of the footage was handed to the

Queensland Police.[51] After reviewing the footage of the incident and speaking to the

cameraman who recorded it, marine documentary filmmaker and former spearfisherman

Ben Cropp speculated that the stingray "felt threatened because Steve was alongside and

there was the cameraman ahead." In such a case, the stingray responds to danger byautomatically flexing the serrated spine on its tail (which can measure up to 25 cm or

about 10 inches in length) in an upward motion.

Cropp said Irwin had accidentally boxed in the animal. "It stopped and twisted

and threw up its tail with the spike, and it caught him in the chest. It's a defensive thing.

It's like being stabbed with a dirty dagger." The stinging of Irwin by thebull ray was "a

one-in-a-million thing," Cropp told Timemagazine. "I have swum with many rays, and I

have only had one do that to me..."

Initially, when Irwin's colleague, John Stainton, was interviewed by CNN's Larry

King late on September 4, 2006 he denied the suggestion that Irwin had pulled the spine

out of his chest, or that he had seen footage of the event, insisting that the anecdote was

"absolute rubbish." The following day, when he first described the video to the media, he

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stated, "Steve came over the top of the ray and the tail came up, and spiked him here [in

the chest], and he pulled it out and the next minute he's gone."

It is thought, in the absence of a coroner's report, that a combination of the toxins

and the puncture wound from the spine caused Irwin to die ofcardiac arrest, with most

damage being inflicted by tears to arteries or other main blood vessels. A similar incident

in Florida a month later in which a man survived a stingray barb through the heart

showed that Irwin's removal of the barb may have caused his own death. The coroner's

report has not yet been released.

Crew members aboard his boat called the emergency services in

the nearest city ofCairns and administered CPRas they rushed the boat

to the nearby Low Islets to meet an emergency rescue helicopter.

However despite the best efforts of Irwin's crew, medical staff

pronounced him dead when they arrived a short time later. According to

Dr Ed O'Loughlin, who treated Irwin, "it became clear fairly soon that he had non-

survivable injuries. He had a penetrating injury to the left front of his chest. He had lost

his pulse and wasn't breathing."

Cairns, Queensland

Irwin's body was flown to a morgue in Cairns. His wife, Terri Irwin, was on a

walking tour in Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park in Tasmania at the time,

and returned via a private plane from Devonport to the Sunshine Coast with their two

children.

Fatalities due to stingrays are infrequent and occurrences are not consistently

collated. The attack on Irwin is believed to be the only fatality from a stingray ever

captured on film.

Stainton told CNN's Larry King "[The tape] should be destroyed". In an ABC

interview with Barbara Walters, Irwin's wife Terri said she has not seen the film of her

husband's deadly encounter with the stingray and that it would not be shown on

television. On January 3, 2007, the only video footage showing the events that led to

Irwin's death was handed over to Terri, who said that the video would never become

public, and noted her family has not seen the video either. In a January 11, 2007

interview withAccess Hollywood, Terri said that "all footage has been destroyed."

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Production was completed on Ocean's Deadliest, which aired for the first time on

the Discovery Channel on January 21, 2007. The documentary was completed with

footage shot in the weeks following the accident. According to Stainton, "Anything to do

with the day that he died, that film is not available." Perhaps to maintain the film's

original purpose as a nature documentary and prevent it from becoming a documentary of

Irwin's final days, his death is not mentioned in the film, aside from a still image of Irwin

at the end alongside the text "In Memory of Steve Irwin".

4.1 Reaction

News of his death prompted widespread worldwide shock.

Australian Prime Minister John Howard expressed his "shock and

distress" at the death, saying that "Australia has lost a wonderful and

colourful son."[62] Queensland Premier Peter Beattie commented in a

Channel Seven television interview that Irwin "will be remembered as not

just a great Queenslander, but a great Australian". Several Australian news websites went

down because of high web traffic and for the first time the top 10 list of most viewed

stories for Fairfax Digital news sites were swept by one topic. Talk-back radio

experienced a high volume of callers expressing their grief. Flags at the Sydney Harbour

were lowered to half staffin honor of Irwin.

The U.S. feed of the Animal Planet cable television channel aired a special tribute

to Steve Irwin that started on Monday, 4 September2006. The tribute continued with the

Animal Planet channel showing highlights of Irwin's more than 200 appearances on

Discovery Networks shows.

On the evening of his death, Enough Rope re-broadcast an interview between

Irwin and Andrew Denton originally broadcast in 2003. CNN showed a repeat of his

interview on Larry King Live, originally recorded in 2004. The Australian federal

parliament opened on September 5, 2006 with condolence speeches by both the Prime

Minister John Howard and the Leader of the Opposition Kim Beazley. The Seven

Networkaired a television memorial show as a tribute to Irwin on 5 September2006,[68]

as did theNine Networkon September 6, 2006.

Jay Leno delivered a tribute to Irwin, describing him as a great ambassador of

Australia. Irwin appeared on Leno's talk show on more than ten occasions. There were

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also tributes on Live with Regis & Kelly and Barbara Walters' The View; on the former

show, Kelly Ripa came close to tears with her praise of Irwin.

Hundreds of people visited Australia Zoo to pay tribute to

the deceased entertainer and conservationist. The day after his

death, the volume of people visiting the zoo to pay their respects

affected traffic so much that police reduced the speed limit around

the Glass House Mountains Road and told motorists to expect delays. BBC reported on

September 13, 2006 that thousands of fans have been to Australia Zoo since Irwin's

death, bringing flowers, candles, stuffed animals and messages of support.

In the weeks after his death, Irwin's conservation foundation Wildlife Warriors

reported that thousands of people from around the world were offering their support via

donations to the conservation group.

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5 C r i tic i smDan Mathews, vice-president of animal rights group People for

the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said it was "no shock at all that

Steve Irwin should die provoking a dangerous animal". He added that

"Irwin made his career out of antagonising frightened wild animals,

that's a very dangerous message to send to children." He also made a

comparison with another well known conservationist: "If you compare him with a

responsible conservationist like Jacques Cousteau, he looks like a cheap reality TV star."

The son of Jacques Cousteau, Jean-Michel Cousteau, also a producer of wildlife

documentaries, also took issue with Irwin's hands-on approach to nature television.

Cousteau asserted, "You don't touch nature, you just look at it."

Although it "goes very well on television", Irwin's approach would

"interfere with nature, jump on animals, grab them, hold them, and

have this very, very spectacular, dramatic way of presenting things"

which Cousteau felt is "very misleading". Jacques Cousteau's grandson, Philippe

Cousteau Jr., however, was himself working with Irwin on the "Ocean's Deadliest"

documentary at the time of Irwin's death, and later described him as "a remarkable

individual." Describing their project, he said, "I think why Steve was so excited about it

that we were looking at these animals that people think of as, you know, dangerous and

deadly monsters, and they're not. They all have an important place in the environment

and in the world. And that was what his whole message was about."

5.1 Backlash against stingrays

In the weeks following Irwin's death, at least ten stingrays

were found dead and mutilated, with their tails cut off, on the

beaches ofQueensland, prompting speculation that they had been

killed by fans of Irwin as an act of revenge. Michael Hornby, a

friend of the late naturalist and executive director of Irwin's Wildlife Warrior fund,

condemned any revenge killings.

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"We just want to make it very clear that we will not accept and not stand for

anyone who's taken a form of retribution. That's the last thing Steve would want," he said.

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6 F u n e r a l a n d m e m o r ia l sQueensland PremierPeter Beattie extended the offer of a state funeral to Irwin's

family, an honour also agreed to by Prime Minister John Howard. The family decided

that such a funeral wouldn't be appropriate, a sentiment echoed by many Australians

outside media and political circles. Steve Irwin's father, Bob Irwin, stated that his son

would not have wanted such an honour, and would want to be remembered as an

"ordinary bloke." Beattie stated he would honour the decision of the Irwin family

regarding their arrangements. Irwin was farewelled by family and friends at a private

funeral service held at Caloundra on the afternoon of9 September. The naturalist was

buried in a private ceremony at the zoo on the same day.

6.1 Memorial service

A public service was held at the 5,500-seat Crocoseum at Australia Zoo on

Wednesday morning September 20, 2006. The service was broadcast live, commercial

free, in the eastern states of Australia, by free-to-air channels Seven, Nine and the ABC

in Australia, as well as live on subscription channel Sky News Australia. In addition, it

was broadcast live around the world, particularly the United States, where the service was

broadcast commercial free on Animal Planet, as well as to Asia and Germany. A BBC

camera crew was also sent especially to Australia to cover the memorial service for the

United Kingdom. It is estimated that over 300 million viewers worldwide watched the

service. The memorial was also rebroadcast

on Animal Planet on January 1, 2007 as part

of their New Year's Day celebration, and

again the following day.

The memorial service was held in the

"Crocoseum" atAustralia Zoo

Messages from around the world came from people including Hugh Jackman,

Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe, Kelly Ripa and Larry

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premiers_of_Queenslandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Beattiehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_funeralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Australiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Irwinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blokehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caloundra%2C_Queenslandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_Zoohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Networkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Networkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_TVhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_News_Australiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Planethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Broadcasting_Corporationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_Zoohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Jackmanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Diazhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Timberlakehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Costnerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Crowehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Ripahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Kinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premiers_of_Queenslandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Beattiehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_funeralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Australiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Irwinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blokehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caloundra%2C_Queenslandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_Zoohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_20http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Networkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Networkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ABC_TVhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_News_Australiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Planethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Broadcasting_Corporationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdomhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year's_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia_Zoohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Jackmanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameron_Diazhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Timberlakehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Costnerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russell_Crowehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelly_Ripahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_King


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King. Costner called him a "fearless" man who was brave enough to let people see him as

he was.

The Prime Minister John Howard made an early speech at the service, as did

Irwin's father Bob and his daughter Bindi.

Wes Mannion and John Stainton also made speeches and David Wenham read a

poem. Anthony Field from The Wiggles partly hosted the service, often sharing the

screen with various animals, from koalas to elephants, and Australian music star John

Williamson sang True Blue, which was Irwin's favourite song. Professor Craig Franklin

of the University of Queensland told the crowd that the university was about to make

Irwin an adjunct professorfor his contributions to the study of crocodiles. In a symbolic

finish to the service, Irwin's truck was loaded up with gear and driven out of the arena for

the last time as Williamson sang.

In a final tribute, Australia Zoo staff spelled out Irwin's catchphrase "Crikey" in

yellow flowers as Irwin's truck was driven from the "Crocoseum" for the last time to end

the service. Flags on the Sydney Harbour Bridge flew at half mast on the day of the

memorial service.

6.2 Other Australian memorials

Australia to honour Steve Irwin with nature park

Several permanent memorials for Irwin have already been considered or

announced. Premier Peter Beattie suggested a national park be named after

Irwin or a permanent memorial might be constructed in his honour, though the

details of the structure would depend on Irwin's family.

On January 1, 2007, Glasshouse Mountains Road, the road that runs by Steve

and Terri Irwin's Australia Zoo, was officially renamed to "Steve Irwin Way".

There will be a nature park in Australia named after Irwin, the Australian

federal government announced in July 2007.

6.3 American memorials

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Kinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes_Mannionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wenhamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Fieldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wiggleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williamson_(singer)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williamson_(singer)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Blue_(John_Williamson_song)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Queenslandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor#Other_positionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_masthttp://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Australia_to_honour_Steve_Irwin_with_nature_parkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larry_Kinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wes_Mannionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Wenhamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Fieldhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wiggleshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williamson_(singer)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williamson_(singer)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/True_Blue_(John_Williamson_song)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Queenslandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor#Other_positionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Harbour_Bridgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Half_masthttp://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Australia_to_honour_Steve_Irwin_with_nature_parkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007


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Animal Planet will rename the garden in front of

Discovery's world headquarters in Silver Spring,

Montgomery County, Maryland, U.S., to the "Steve

Irwin Memorial Sensory Garden".

Animal Planet is also creating the Steve Irwin

Crocodile Hunter Fund called the "The Crikey Fund" to "provide a way for

people from across the globe to make contributions in Irwin's honor to support

wildlife protection, education and conservation".

Animal Planet ran a The Crocodile Hunter Diaries marathon on air to pay

tribute to Irwin.

There is presently a resolution under consideration in the Kentucky General

Assembly to make February 22, 2007 Steve Irwin Day in honor of what would

have been his 45th birthday.

On the Happy FeetDVD, there is a deleted scene where the main character

Mumble meets an albatross voiced by Irwin and a blue whale. The scene was

unfinished at first but was included on the DVD release to honor Irwin's

memory as Irwin had insisted on being in a film that contained a message

about the environment. However, they took this scene off the movie and

decided to let Irwin play an elephant seal named Trev.

6.4 Indian memorial

A crocodile research centre in Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary was named by the

Kerala government after Steve Irwin.

The state's forest and wildlife department is perhaps the first government body in

the world to name a memorial after Irwin, whose documentaries on wildlife and reptiles

endeared him to thousands of viewers. The centre is now called the Steve Irwin Crocodile

Rehabilitation and Research Centre.

6.5 Death anniversary

On September 4, 2007, Australian fans gathered at

the Irwin family zoo on the Gold Coast, Queensland to

commemorate the first anniversary of Irwin's death. State

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PremierPeter Beattie described Irwin as one of the state's greatest cultural ambassadors.

On November 15, Irwin's widow Terri and children, Bindi and Bob, remembered his life

and achievements on "Steve Irwin Day.

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C onc lus ionIt is my firm belief that the Irwin family helped people to help wildlife. Their

dedication to humanitarian aid in many forms and for many people around the world

runs parallel to their mission ofConservation through Exciting Education.

Even after Steves tragic death the rest of the family are actively involved in

intense conservation work and groundbreaking research into protecting the worlds

precious wildlife and its habitat. They are still fighting to save all species from

persecution and indifference, thus paying tribute to everything that Steve had believed

in, and at the same time, continuing his precious work to protect the environment and

the endangered species.

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B ib l i og raphy1. travelaustralia.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=318711

2. verylittleknownfacts.blogspot.com/2006/09/rip-steve-irwin-crocodile-

and.html

3. www.australiazoo.com.au

4. www.ripsteve.com/

5. animal.discovery.com/fansites/crochunter/crochunter.html

6. www.steveirwinday.org/
http://www.australiazoo.com.au/http://www.ripsteve.com/http://www.ripsteve.com/http://www.ripsteve.com/http://www.australiazoo.com.au/http://www.ripsteve.com/

stephen robert irwin fff bun

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