Steve Irwin
Have you ever heard of the term crocodile tears?
While the term means that someone is not really sorry or sad crying, the truth is that when a crocodile sheds tears it's because they are cleaning their eyes, they aren't actually crying. That was one of the many things Steve Irwin was told about by his father when he was a little boy. The Irwins were and still are passionate about the wildlife of Australia which includes crocodiles, koalas, snakes, kangaroos and wallabies (smaller kangaroos), opossums and lizards. In fact the Irwins were so passionate about wildlife that they opened up a zoo near Beerwah which grew as Steve got older. Steve and his father Bob rescued crocodiles and lizards after which they would bring them to the zoo where they were safe from those destroying their natural habitat.
Steve fell in love with an American woman named Terri Raines who he married and had two children with, Bindi and Robert. It was around this time that the idea of a TV involving Steve and his wildlife adventures was coming to fruition, in fact footage of Steve and Terri's honeymoon where they trapped and rescued crocodiles was used as the pilot episode of the Crocodile Hunter, the show that would make the Irwins famous outside of Australia. Many people came to Australia Zoo (the new name of the reptile park Steve's parents had set up late in Steve's childhood) to see the animals there as well as to see Steve feed the animals, especially the crocodiles. Things were going well for the Irwins until 4th September 2006, when tragedy struck.
On that day, Steve was in the Great Barrier Reef (one of the world's largest coral reef systems) when he was pierced in the chest by a stingray while filming footage for a new documentary called Oceans Deadliest. A stingray is a type of fish that is round, flat and has broad fins. They can attack you with their tails in an act of defence but fatal stings by a stingray is rare. Sadly, Steve Irwin succumbed to his injuries. Despite this, his family continues the wildlife warrior legacy, starting with Bindi getting her own show which aired a year after Steve's death. Had Steve lived, he would've witnessed Bindi get married and become a grandfather to Bindi's first child.
Also on this day (22 February)
