Snake

Snake…

If you watch one as it's moving, you might say that there’s something kind of beautiful about it!

Or, maybe you wouldn’t say that.

Because no matter how cool it is to watch a snake slithering across the ground on a youtube video, in a movie, or behind the glass at the zoo, it's a completely different experience when you stumble upon one in real life.

It would be untruthful to attribute my love of all things science and nature to anything but the amazing homeschooling education I received from my parents.

My sense of wonder was fostered by all of the frequent trips to the zoo, Science City, the local planetarium, and the library. 

We practically LIVED at the library. 

I am also indebted to my parents for ensuring that I didn’t consume a steady diet of mind-numbing fodder otherwise known as much of today’s children’s entertainment. Yes, I did watch my share of Spiderman, Superman, and Batman cartoons on Saturday mornings (How else would I have fallen in love with the world of comics?), but they made a conscious effort to limit our screen time. 

When it was allowed, our TV time was filled with shows like The Magic School Bus, The Kratz Brothers, Wishbone, Sesame Street, and (my personal favorite) The Crocodile Hunter.

Steve Irwin’s charismatic reptile wrestling played such a large part in my fascination with animals and nature that growing up, my dream job was to be a Zoo Veterinarian. I wanted to live that lifestyle (Because that’s what I thought a Zoo Vet would do?); chasing down those awesome animals, rescuing them, and nursing them back to health.

Steve’s (1962-2006) passion for wildlife preservation was heavily influenced by his parents, also conservationists, who started the 4 acre Beerwah Reptile Park in Queensland, Australia in 1970. 

As a young boy, Steve frequented expeditions with his dad for the government-sponsored East Coast Crocodile Management Program to reduce poaching by relocating them to less populated areas or sanctuaries like Beerwah Park. During this time, Steve began mastering the iconic technique of subduing crocodiles by jumping on their backs. 

He started doing this at only 9 years old!

His dare-devil personality paired with his seemingly endless supply of energy made the job of dealing with deadly and endangered animals such a good fit for him.

As Steve got older, he worked on his own for the Crocodile Management Program and developed the reputation of being Australia’s top “croc catcher.” 

Some footage of his crocodile trapping episodes were eventually shown to a news station and “The Crocodile Hunter” documentaries and shows were born.

He eventually took over the Beerwah Reptile Park from his father in 1991 and continued to passionately emphasize the importance of protecting threatened and endangered species. 

The following year, the park was renamed the Australia Zoo and by 2000, it expanded to over 16 acres with 550 animals. By 2007 (one year after his tragic death), it had grown to house over 1,000 animals on 80 acres.

In addition to running the zoo, Steve and his wife Terri established large wildlife refuges elsewhere in Australia and founded Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, an international charity organization created to promote wildlife conservation, education, and research.

Steve once said, “My job, my mission, the reason I’ve been put onto this planet is to save wildlife.”

These weren’t just words…

He devoted his whole life to this!

To prove it, his Wildlife Warriors charity bought hundreds of square miles worldwide for wildlife conservation. The Australian Zoo even manages a reserve in northern Queensland that’s over 500 square miles.

For too many, the enormous diversity of life on Earth is a remote abstraction, something that belongs to another, more fantastical world.

The World Wildlife Fund states that the average vertebrate (birds, fish, mammals, and amphibians) population has declined 60 percent since 1970. 

The future for biodiversity on planet Earth, due to human activity, looks pretty bleak and unfortunately, it takes massive catastrophes like the recent Australian wildfires to wake people up to this reality.

It’s just not on the mind of the average person.

But that is why pop culture could use more science and wildlife celebrities like Steve Irwin!

He helped me appreciate the natural world by bringing it into my house, and selling me on its importance and vulnerability with his care, wonder, thoughtfulness, and enthusiasm. 

When asked about his infectious excitement displayed on the “Crocodile Hunter” show, he exclaimed, “I believe that education is all about being excited about something… That’s the main aim in our entire lives is to promote education about wildlife and wilderness areas, save habitats, save endangered species, etc. So, if we can get people excited about animals, then by crikey, it makes it a heck of a lot easier to save them.”

This is what I remember most about him! 

Steve’s lust for life’s diversity was so contagious to me as an impressionable young boy that my brothers and I would constantly be outside, exploring the nearby woods and creek beds in search of all sorts of critters.

We were especially looking for crocodiles to wrestle.

Thank you, Steve Irwin, for helping create in me and millions of other humans a humble wonder and respect for our fellow Earth neighbors.

And yes… that also includes creepy snakes.