Also at age nine, he wrestled his first crocodile, again under his father's supervision. He began handling crocodiles at the age of nine after his father had educated him on reptiles from an early age. On his sixth birthday, he was given a 12-foot (4 m) scrub python. 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. After moving to Queensland, Bob and Lyn Irwin started the small Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, where Steve grew up around crocodiles and other reptiles. Irwin described his father as a wildlife expert interested in herpetology, while his mother Lyn was a wildlife rehabilitator. He moved with his parents as a child to Queensland in 1970, where he attended Landsborough State School and Caloundra State High School. His great-great-grandfather Joseph Irwin from Dublin settled in Tasmania, Australia in the 1870s. His parents were both of English and Irish descent, with some Swedish on his mother's side. Stephen Robert Irwin was born on his mother's 20th birthday to Lynette “Lyn” Hakainsson (1942-2000) and Bob Irwin in Upper Ferntree Gully, a suburb of Melbourne.

The Irwin family continues to operate Australia Zoo. Numerous parks, zoos, streets, the vessel MY Steve Irwin, the snail species Crikey steveirwini, and the asteroid 57567 Crikey have been named in his honour. His death became international news and was met with expressions of shock and grief by fans, the media, governments, and non-profit organizations. In 2006, while filming a documentary in Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Irwin died from an injury caused by a stingray. They also co-owned and operated Australia Zoo, founded by Irwin's parents in Beerwah, about 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of the Queensland state capital of Brisbane. The couple also hosted the series Croc Files (1999–2001), The Crocodile Hunter Diaries (2002–2006), and New Breed Vets (2005). He achieved international fame from the television series The Crocodile Hunter (1996–2007), an internationally broadcast wildlife documentary series that he co-hosted with his wife Terri. Irwin grew up around crocodiles and other reptiles and was educated regarding them by his father Bob. Stephen Robert Irwin (22 February 1962 – 4 September 2006), known as ' The Crocodile Hunter', was an Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, wildlife educator, and environmentalist.

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