Two decades on, Steve Irwin's legacy lives through friends and family
Marking twenty years since Steve Irwin’s fatal stingray encounter, former zoo director Wes Mannion and longtime collaborators recall his daring spirit while the Irwin family continues to run Australia Zoo.
Wes Mannion first met Irwin as a teenager visiting the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park and later endured several close calls, including a crocodile that tore at his leg during a flood and a training bout in which Irwin’s elbow struck his rib. John Stainton recalls a pre-shoot anxiety in January 2006 that turned into dread when Irwin was killed by a stingray at Batt Reef on September 4, 2006, despite the crew’s attempts to revive him.
Editor Bob Blasdall remembers being hoisted onto a thrashing crocodile after Irwin shouted for him to jump on its tail. The shock of Irwin’s death rippled globally, prompting a memorial service watched by roughly 300 million people, where his father Bob Irwin and eight-year-old daughter Bindi spoke. Sunshine Coast mayor Rosanna Natoli, then a local news reporter, described the nation’s disbelief at the news.
The Irwin family continues to manage Australia Zoo and the adjacent wildlife reserve, while Robert Irwin recently hosted the Logie Awards, showcasing the family’s ongoing public profile. The family declined interview requests for the anniversary, citing conservation duties.
Why it matters
The story shows how Irwin’s daring wildlife work still shapes conservation efforts and popular culture twenty years later.
In this story
