5 September
2006 Chatmag News.
The Discovery
Channel plans a tribute to the late Steve Irwin by creating a fund to further
wildlife protection, education and conservation.
Irwin, best known
for his on-air antics with wild animals, was killed Saturday by a sting
ray. He was also known as Queensland's defacto ambassador, boosting the
Austrailian state's tourism.
According to the
Press Release from The Animal Planet site:
"To honor Steve
and the enormous contribution he made to the world and to our company,
DCI will rename the garden space in front of Discovery's world headquarters
in Silver Spring, Maryland, the "Steve Irwin Memorial Garden."
DCI is planning
to create the Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter Fund, which it expects to affectionately
call "The Crikey Fund." The Fund will be established to honor Steve's passion
and exuberance for conservation and the animal kingdom and is expected
to provide a way for people from across the globe to make contributions
in Steve's honor to support wildlife protection, education and conservation.
The Fund will provide support to Steve's Australia Zoo in Beewah, Australia,
as well as educational support for his children, Bindi and Bob Irwin.
Steve Irwin was
the world's best-known wildlife crusader. As the Crocodile Hunter, Steve
became a household name, and his television adventures have been seen around
the globe. In 2002, he starred in the feature film, The Crocodile Hunter:
Collision Course and appeared on numerous popular television talk shows.
Throughout his high international profile, Steve's commitment to wildlife
always remained paramount.
His passion to
protect the world's most endangered and threatened species could be traced
back to his parents, conservationists and animal lovers Bob and Lyn Irwin,
the founders of Australia Zoo. As a young boy, Steve helped Bob rescue
and relocate crocodiles in the rivers of North Queensland. The father-and-son
team was proud to say that over 100 crocodiles living at Australia Zoo
were either caught by them or bred and raised in the zoo.
In his 20s, Steve
volunteered his services to the Queensland government's rogue crocodile
relocation program, living alone for years in the mosquito-infested creeks,
rivers and mangroves of North Queensland. In 1992, Steve and his friend,
television producer John Stainton, created a distinctive new style of wildlife
documentary. That one-hour program, The Crocodile Hunter, featured Steve,
his new wife, American wildlife caretaker Terri Raines, and the animals
of Far North Queensland. Steve's boisterous charm, unconventional style
and extraordinary daring, combined with Terri's wit and composure in dangerous
situations and their amazingly close encounters with such potentially deadly
creatures as crocodiles, venomous snakes and spiders, made The Crocodile
Hunter a worldwide hit."
--Chatmag News
Staff--
External Links:
Chatmag's
Steve Irwin tribute discussion forum.
Animal
Planet.
