"Crikey!" became a phrased best know to come from Steve "The Crocodile Hunter" Irwin's mouth while he was doing one daring act or another. The conservationist, zookeeper, television personality and father was one of the most avid animal lovers before his death in 2006 and his legacy lives on today.
The Google doodle on the search engine homepage Friday honored Irwin and his efforts to protect animals, in honor of both his birthday anniversary and National Wildlife Day. The doodle shows Irwin through different times in his life and includes the work he did with animals through the years.
Irwin gained international notoriety in the 1990s when his show The Crocodile Hunter premiered and then was turned into a series. It later became such a popular show that it aired in over 100 countries, according to Britannica.
He was born to a family that celebrated animals and they had their own animal park in Australia that he later took over and has since become the Australia Zoo. The park grew from the original four acres to now the 1,000 acres that make up the zoo.
He met his wife Terri when she visited the park and the two married a year later and worked together saving animals and filming their adventures. They later had two children, Bindi and Robert, before Steve's death.
Irwin died in 2006 while filming a documentary near the Great Barrier Reef. He was stung by a venomous stingray and was stung in the chest prompting cardiac arrest and his death. His wife and children have carried on his legacy and taken point on the Australia Zoo and continued to work to protect animals and conserve wildlife.
Six quotes from Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin:
"I have no fear of losing my life - if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it."
"I don't care if I'm remembered, as long as my message is remembered."
"We don't own the planet Earth, we belong to it. And we must share it with our wildlife."
"The message is simple: love and conserve our wildlife."
"Crocodiles are easy. They try to kill and eat you. People are harder. Sometimes they pretend to be your friend first."
"Yeah, I'm a thrill seeker, but crikey, education's the most important thing."
Uncommon Knowledge
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Nina was a breaking news reporter. She previously worked at Business Insider, The Boston Globe, and Boston.com.
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