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 of endangered 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 wild-life 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, or shark-fin soup:

“These Hitlers use the camouflage of science to make money out of animals… So whenever they murder our animals and call it sustainable use, I’ll fight it. Since when has killing a wild animal, eating it or wearing it, ever saved a species?

There are people who butt out their cigarettes in gorilla-paw ashtrays, with wastepaper baskets that were once elephant feet, who have ivory ornaments… who wear cheetah fur. Don’t buy these things! Then there’ll be no market and the animals won’t be killed.

We have domesticated livestock raised for consumption and perfectly good fake leather and fur, so why must we kill wild animals to satisfy the macabre taste of some rich person?

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 of RSPCA Queensland as a “modern-day Noah”, and British naturalist David Bellamy lauded his skills as a natural historian and media performer. Irwin 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, with proceeds going to the Iron Bark Station Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.

Irwin, however, was criticised for having an unsophisticated view of conservation in Australia that seemed more linked to tourism than the problems Australia faces as a continent. The Sydney Morning Herald reported in 2002 that Irwin had stated:

“Here is my greatest gift to the world,” he cries. “We need to stand proud of what is Australia … the greatest grazing nation on the face of the Earth! The whole joint is grazing land … and by crikey we’re good at it! We should be … [eating] beef and lamb, not kangaroos and crocodiles. They’re why tourists come to Australia. They are tourism icons!”

In response to questions of Australia’s problems with overgrazing, salinity, 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 that his message was confusing and amounted to “eating roos and crocs is bad for tourism, and therefore more cruel than eating other animals”.

Media image

Irwin cultivated an image as an “Aussie larrikin”, however making liberal use of Australian slang (such as his catchcry, “Crikey!”) in a very broad Australian accent. His unabashed enthusiasm for dangerous animals and childlike energy sometimes made him appear simple, which drew some criticism at home. He expressed disappointment at times for media criticism, believing he was being targeted due to a cultural cringe.

Regardless of local opinion, his media personage was very popular worldwide but especially in the U.S., akin to another great international Australian success — Paul Hogan as “Crocodile Dundee” in the 1980s.[10] His friends and family often reported that he was to them as he was to the rest of the world — larger than life.

Due to his memorable persona, numerous parodies of Irwin exist, including appearances in The Basil Brush Show, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Irregular Webcomic!, It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, The Jedi Hunter, the Flash cartoon On The Moon, the webcomic PvP, The Simpsons, and the “Prehistoric Ice Man” episode of South Park, among others. He appeared to have fun with his image, even participating in a 2006 ESPN television commercial depicting him wrestling Albert E. Gator, the University of Florida’s mascot, to the ground in an ESPN studio hallway.

Even with regard to his own death, Irwin displayed a sense of humor undermining conventional pieties that drown out other kinds of expressions of grief. Irwin once insisted, “My number one rule is to keep that camera rolling. Even if it’s shaky or slightly out of focus, I don’t give a rip. Even if a big old alligator is chewing me up I want to go down and go, ‘Crikey!’ just before I die. That would be the ultimate for me.”

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