The Crocodile Hunter - Steve's Story (2000)
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00:00:00Since we made Steve's Story, the biography on my life,
00:00:05we've had such a tremendous response from your letters and emails
00:00:09that we've decided to go back to the original 90-minute version.
00:00:14It's never been seen before, it's the director's cut,
00:00:17so you'll see more of my exciting early crocodile captures,
00:00:22intimate moments and highlights from our more recent adventures.
00:00:26Sit back and enjoy the journey on this Steve's Story Special Edition.
00:00:57Have a look at this little beauty.
00:01:01Check this out.
00:01:05What a little beauty.
00:01:08Don't fuck with it.
00:01:18Don't fuck with it.
00:01:22Don't fuck with it.
00:01:26Gorgeous.
00:01:39From the time he was a boy, Steve's been passionate about wildlife.
00:01:43He's very lucky because he grew up at a zoo with two parents
00:01:47who devoted their lives to teaching him all about the animals he loves.
00:01:52From the first time he caught a crocodile at just nine years of age,
00:01:56Steve has loved all sorts of reptiles.
00:01:59Cold-blooded animals are his favorite.
00:02:02I think he hatched out in a crocodile enclosure.
00:02:05We're going to show you some exciting vision on a story about Steve Irwin
00:02:10and how it all began.
00:02:13Over the years, Steve has developed an amazing affinity
00:02:17with all of the animals that he encounters.
00:02:19He has an uncanny ability to be at one with some of the most wild animals
00:02:24on the face of the earth.
00:02:26But it's not just limited to the dangerous species.
00:02:29He also has a special bond with our more lovable creatures.
00:02:36I've had some wildlife encounters in my life,
00:02:39but the emotions that I felt in my heart,
00:02:42I was nearly crying to get this close
00:02:46and be loved on by this beautiful, absolutely gorgeous mummy orang.
00:02:52It was such a touching experience,
00:02:55one that I'll take with me for the rest of my life.
00:03:01Or this memorable experience with a tiger rattler.
00:03:05You'll settle down in a minute.
00:03:06All I've got to do is avoid getting bitten for the first 20 seconds
00:03:09and then you'll settle down. Here he goes.
00:03:12You settling down? Here? You stop rattling?
00:03:16I think now I can take the liberty of moving in a little closer.
00:03:23You've got to imagine, I'm a professional.
00:03:25I've been dealing with highly venomous snakes all my life
00:03:27and I'm just staring straight at his head,
00:03:30checking out his demeanour.
00:03:32He's settled down, he's stopped rattling.
00:03:35And now, and only now, I can demonstrate how beautiful he is
00:03:41and how uninclined he is to strike.
00:03:44Look at that. My hands, my nose, my face, my eyes,
00:03:48are all within strike range.
00:03:51He's a pit viper.
00:03:53He could strike back over his own body at least two-thirds his body length,
00:03:57which means he could get me right on the eyebrow.
00:04:00Isn't this magnificent?
00:04:02Notice the snake, how it's jiggling up and down?
00:04:05That's my nerves.
00:04:07I am really, really nervous.
00:04:11But...
00:04:14..I'm a professional.
00:04:16I've never been envenomated by a venomous snake.
00:04:20I take great pride in that.
00:04:22But you can see I'm shaking like a leaf.
00:04:25And this snake is totally unfazed by it.
00:04:28Look at his little rattle there.
00:04:31Beautiful rattle.
00:04:33Perfectly formed.
00:04:35Look at that.
00:04:38There's another species of rattler here, the speckled.
00:04:41They're very hard to tell apart from these tiger rattlers.
00:04:45The only way to tell is those bands and the tail.
00:04:49The speckled's got that coontail, black on white, before the buttons.
00:04:54I just really appreciate you letting me do this.
00:04:57Free handle.
00:04:59Something no one should ever do.
00:05:03This is the Steve Irwin that you've come to know on television.
00:05:06But what was it like in the beginning?
00:05:08What was he like as a child?
00:05:11I would describe Stephen...
00:05:15..as a monster.
00:05:19He, um...
00:05:22He was never where he was supposed to be.
00:05:27He was always missing.
00:05:31There was a time when we were to go away on a holiday.
00:05:35One of the very few times we were to go away on a holiday.
00:05:38He was down the local creek chasing lizards.
00:05:41Everybody else was ready to go.
00:05:43We had to go and look for him.
00:05:46If you took him out in the bush...
00:05:49..the hardest job for the whole trip would be to keep an eye on Stephen.
00:05:54The only successful way, and I never ever tried it...
00:05:58..but the most successful way would have been to tie him to the truck.
00:06:03But on the other hand...
00:06:07..it was marvellous to have somebody of that size...
00:06:12..especially your own son...
00:06:14..to sort of go on a field trip with you.
00:06:17Growing up at the reptile park is something that is really hard to describe...
00:06:22..in that my whole life, whether I was waking up in the morning going to school...
00:06:26..or it was the weekend and I had to clean out crocodile enclosures...
00:06:29..I was surrounded by wildlife.
00:06:33My whole aim as a kid was to find animals...
00:06:36..and particularly venomous snakes and lizards...
00:06:39..so I could show my dad.
00:06:41So my whole life I just had to go out there and make Dad proud.
00:06:44Meanwhile, he's out looking for me.
00:06:46So the opposite effect was happening.
00:06:48Oh, he wasn't all that proud.
00:06:50He was there, come on, we're ready to go and we can't find you.
00:06:53So he had his hands full, I think.
00:06:56He's always been very, very active...
00:06:59..on the verge of being hyperactive, really, very much so.
00:07:02If he went missing, you could always look up a tree.
00:07:05There he'd be.
00:07:07I never used to stop him.
00:07:09I got to the stage where from the age of two years old...
00:07:12..he would never be on the ground, he'd be up somewhere.
00:07:15It was just useless. You had to let him go his way.
00:07:18And he's always been the same and he always was.
00:07:21When we'd be travelling to and fro school, if he saw a reptile on the road...
00:07:24..we always had to stop and investigate what it was...
00:07:27..whether we were running late or early or whatever.
00:07:29One particular instance, I have stopped the car and said...
00:07:33..we'll get out and do it and left him there.
00:07:38My husband decided to buy Stephen a snake for his birthday.
00:07:43He was six years old and he got a python.
00:07:47It was about 12 foot long.
00:07:52He loved this python.
00:07:54My dad is my hero, my legend, my icon...
00:07:58..and also my mentor.
00:08:00And he was kind of ahead of his time with wildlife.
00:08:03He was at the cutting edge of animal husbandry...
00:08:06..and understanding the wilderness and all of the wildlife in it.
00:08:11We decided that we'd keep a couple of reptiles as pets...
00:08:14..because we were always out fishing...
00:08:17..and we were always running into tiger snakes and black snakes...
00:08:20..and brown snakes and things.
00:08:22We decided rather than hurt them that we'd keep them as pets...
00:08:25..so we kept a couple as pets and then it just grew from there.
00:08:29We thought that if we could make some type of a living...
00:08:34..out of an animal park...
00:08:36..then Queensland's climate was quite good for that.
00:08:40Building materials at that time were extremely difficult to get...
00:08:45..and the first couple of years we actually lived in a caravan...
00:08:49..because we couldn't build a house.
00:08:51It was never easy.
00:08:54It was something we'd never done before.
00:08:56We'd come from Melbourne working as plumbers...
00:09:00..up to opening a park of animals.
00:09:05My mum is just the most beautiful person on the face of the earth.
00:09:11You know, I was born on my mum's birthday...
00:09:15..and so every time my birthday comes around...
00:09:19..I just get this overwhelming warmth, just engulfs my entire body.
00:09:23All of her life she has tried to rehabilitate orphan animals...
00:09:28..like orphan joey, kangaroos, koalas, wombats, snakes and rays...
00:09:34..three kids of her own.
00:09:36We started off with a very small collection.
00:09:38We had a few snakes, we had a few lizards...
00:09:41..and I think it took us probably at that time a couple of years...
00:09:47..before we managed to get a couple of crocodiles.
00:09:50Stephen would have gone crocodile catching with us...
00:09:53..extremely early in the piece actually...
00:09:55..when we were catching freshwater crocodiles.
00:09:58This would have been in the early 70s.
00:10:02The same thing applied.
00:10:06Although he was only a fairly young lad...
00:10:09..it was extremely difficult to keep him in the boat...
00:10:14..so that you could keep your eye on him...
00:10:16..because if we happened to see a croc...
00:10:19..he would want to be the first one out to grab it.
00:10:23I think I was nine years old when I had my first jump on a freshie...
00:10:28..and that was a pretty wild experience.
00:10:30Up the front of the boat, I've got the spotlight...
00:10:32..and you can imagine at nine years of age I was keen as mustard.
00:10:35And I was accustomed to spotlighting the crocs...
00:10:38..and I'd put the spotty down, he'd be driving...
00:10:40..and he'd go in and jump them.
00:10:42But something changed this night and he had me up the front...
00:10:45..and he's right-o, son, you can get him.
00:10:48OK, up the front and don't worry about the trees, Stephen.
00:10:55We were going up the river...
00:10:57..and we saw this crocodile close to the bank.
00:11:00There's one, Dad, there's one!
00:11:02Keep your eye on it, son.
00:11:08And I trusted Stephen that he knew what size crocodile it was...
00:11:14..which was rather silly on my part, I should have known better.
00:11:17We're getting closer and closer...
00:11:19..until I can see his eyes right in front.
00:11:21Whoa!
00:11:23Speared straight down, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck.
00:11:26I was overwhelmed and I didn't realise how large it was.
00:11:29And then I realised...
00:11:31..that this croc is nearly the same size as Stephen.
00:11:35He's gradually going underwater with the crocodile...
00:11:38..so I grabbed him and the croc and threw them both in the boat.
00:11:42Then I felt the strength of my dad's arm come underneath both of us...
00:11:46..and flip us both into the boat and he just pinned us down.
00:11:49Are you all right, lad? Are you all right?
00:11:51And sure enough, I was OK and bike-rikey.
00:11:53That was the proudest moment of my entire life.
00:11:56I copped a little bit of flak at school, you know, at primary school...
00:12:00..because I wasn't into pushbikes and then into motorbikes or skateboards.
00:12:05And so at lunchtime or morning tea, I'd be out there looking at the birds...
00:12:09..trying to find little lizards and, you know, getting up close to them...
00:12:12..and feeding them grasshoppers.
00:12:14And I guess after a period of time, the other kids seemed to warm up to it...
00:12:18..and they got involved.
00:12:20Wildlife has always been my passion. It was my backyard.
00:12:23But surfing, I needed a sport and, you know, you can't quite keep fit enough...
00:12:27..chasing lizards around, so I took up surfing and that became quite a passion.
00:12:31And in fact, I was able to travel later in life surfing and doing wildlife.
00:12:36So there was a good mutual tie in there with my sport and my passion.
00:12:45In 1985, Dad and I...
00:12:49..we felt that action speaks louder than words.
00:12:53And we've always loved our crocodiles...
00:12:56..and we felt that the conflict between crocodiles and man...
00:13:00..is something that we could help with.
00:13:03And so Dad joined up with the East Coast Crocodile Management Programme...
00:13:07..and together, away we went, trying to help the crocodiles...
00:13:11..by removing them from the area before there was that conflict...
00:13:15..or a potential danger of someone getting bitten.
00:13:18That was probably the most exciting time at the park, actually...
00:13:21..because we had to catch what they classified then...
00:13:25..as nuisance or rogue crocodiles.
00:13:28And we were contracted to National Parks and Wildlife to catch these crocodiles.
00:13:32It was an extremely exciting time.
00:13:37He seemed to have a reasonably good knack of not only finding the crocodiles...
00:13:42..but also capturing them.
00:13:44I've found that the best way to catch a crocodile...
00:13:47..is to treat it as a one-on-one situation.
00:13:50So I focus, I just focus on that crocodile so hard...
00:13:54..that I am unaware of anything around me.
00:13:57I won't eat. I will just... I'll stay on that river...
00:14:00..because I feel so passionate about catching that croc before someone gets to him.
00:14:05I just won't stop. I've just got to do it.
00:14:08And, of course, when that croc goes into the trap...
00:14:12..and I've trapped him, I'm elated.
00:14:14It's like...
00:14:16..it's quite a...
00:14:18..it's almost an adrenaline surge after the act of catching the croc...
00:14:23..because you know that you've secured the animal...
00:14:26..and he's going to live a really happy life.
00:14:29I absolutely thrived on it.
00:14:31Living right in the bush, I became at one with nature.
00:14:35And I think those years of isolation in the bush...
00:14:39..trying to help crocodiles built Steve Irwin.
00:14:43And I had to use bush tucker...
00:14:45..and I'd resort to fishing to get a feed.
00:14:49So it really honed my bush skills.
00:14:52I can't recall how many crocodiles we would have caught over the years.
00:14:56Um...
00:15:02I suppose close to 100 crocodiles, maybe, over those years.
00:15:08I spent what felt like a lifetime up in the wilderness catching crocodiles on my own.
00:15:14And occasionally I'd have family and friends helping me, which was great.
00:15:20Dad bought me this old national video recorder,
00:15:23which I'd jam in a tree on the mud bank,
00:15:26put it on the front of the boat, on the back of the truck,
00:15:29absolutely everywhere to capture a piece of history.
00:15:33My sister Mandy came up to give me a hand
00:15:36and she turned out to be an expert on the camera.
00:15:39Sharing all this with my dad and with my best mate Wes
00:15:43has helped to build me to be the person I am
00:15:46because it was crocodile conservation in its rawest form
00:15:51and to get it all on an old video camera is exceptional.
00:16:09It was very physical, hard work.
00:16:13Manipulating, grabbing, tossing these big crocodiles.
00:16:17And mostly I was on my own.
00:16:24And here we are back at the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park with two crocodiles.
00:16:28They were shifting two crocodiles one day and I wasn't there.
00:16:33But, of course, as usual, they just grabbed whatever they could find.
00:16:38And when I managed to make it over there, here's Rebecca's bed.
00:16:42Her mattress off her bed.
00:16:44They actually put over the crocodile to shift it.
00:17:00Be careful, that's Becky's bed.
00:17:02Becky's. Rebecca's.
00:17:05That's my granddaughter's bed.
00:17:09See that little bench there?
00:17:23I spent a long time in the bush and I'd caught a whole series of crocodiles
00:17:27and with that came a big head and complacency.
00:17:31And, of course, never the two shall meet.
00:17:33Catching crocs and complacency is just not on.
00:17:36I can hear my dad's words in the background there.
00:17:38I'm going to kick your bottom if you go complacent.
00:17:41Anyway, I got complacent.
00:17:43I think he'd been in the bush a bit too long because he'd got very complacent.
00:17:47And he hadn't secured...
00:17:50Although he'd got this crocodile back to camp, ready to put into a crate,
00:17:55she was still in the trap, but she hadn't been secured.
00:18:01Her mouth hadn't been secured.
00:18:04So while he's getting the transport crate ready,
00:18:07he let this croc out of the trap and she was just sitting there.
00:18:11So he goes in the box.
00:18:13As I'm backed out, whack!
00:18:19Did you get that on video?
00:18:21She put a series of real beaut holes in my feet all the way to the bone.
00:18:27Thanks a lot.
00:18:29And I had to ring my dad up.
00:18:31So I rang up, oh, Dad, I need some help.
00:18:33Did you need some help?
00:18:35Jeez, this doesn't sound like young Stevo.
00:18:38Look what that crocodile did to me, Suey.
00:18:42So he was extremely fortunate that all he had in his foot was some holes
00:18:46and he also still had the croc that could have just walked off back to the creek.
00:18:53Agro was one of the wildest captures in my entire life.
00:18:57And I had my heart and my throat for a long time.
00:19:01We spent many, many hours together.
00:19:04The sequence of events that happened was Dad went up into this area.
00:19:09He was a designated rogue crocodile and he was a really naughty croc.
00:19:13He'd pop right up next to boats.
00:19:16And in fact, when Dad was up there, he located him very easily
00:19:19and he put a marker in the tree.
00:19:21So when I went up, I knew exactly where to set the trap.
00:19:24Now, a whole series of events happened where I built a lot of respect
00:19:31for this one animal, Agro.
00:19:33I've gone in, I've located the trap site,
00:19:36and even when I went in to set the trap,
00:19:39I felt this crocodile stalking me.
00:19:41I couldn't see it, but I could sense it.
00:19:44And myself and my dog were setting the trap.
00:19:47Something bumped into the boat.
00:19:49My dog started barking at the water.
00:19:51Obviously a crocodile.
00:19:53She was alarming me to the danger.
00:19:55And I was really scared.
00:19:57Anyway, we set the trap.
00:19:59I got back into the boat.
00:20:01Away we went.
00:20:03And a few days later, I got back into the boat.
00:20:06Away we went.
00:20:08And a few days went past.
00:20:10He started hitting lead-in baits,
00:20:12which is the first sign I'm going to catch a croc.
00:20:14And then sure enough, one morning, I wake up,
00:20:17headed up to the trap site,
00:20:19and the trap was completely submerged under water.
00:20:22And so I'm scratching my head.
00:20:24I wonder what's going on here.
00:20:26The trap's gone off.
00:20:28Something's taken the bait.
00:20:30Next minute, a spout came out of the water.
00:20:33The nostrils of air from a crocodile.
00:20:36I've gone, you cutie, I've got a crocodile.
00:20:39It's under the water, so I park my boat over the top,
00:20:41thinking, what am I going to do?
00:20:43Next minute, bang, straight under the boat.
00:20:45He's head-butted the boat.
00:20:47And I've gone, crikey, I've got no idea of knowing how big it is.
00:20:50I've gained a bit of net and hooked into the bow of the boat.
00:20:53Bang! He's head-butted the boat again.
00:20:56I've gone, oh, crikey.
00:20:58So I've gained a bit more net,
00:21:00and it's just like this whirlpool of crocodile,
00:21:03very, very excited and aggravated.
00:21:06As he's carrying on and getting really aggressive,
00:21:08I'm hauling net in and hooking it in and hooking it in
00:21:11and hooking it in until here's the tail of the crocodile
00:21:14up over the bow of the boat.
00:21:16I'm thinking, you beauty, I'm gaining ground on him.
00:21:18So I've taken one more hook and hooked it in.
00:21:21Now his whole tail is over the bow of the boat,
00:21:24about a 12-foot croc.
00:21:26Next thing, he's pivoted off his tail,
00:21:28and he's just gone, whoa, straight out of the water,
00:21:30mouth open, straight in the boat.
00:21:32Bang! Me and my dog, whoo, we're out.
00:21:35Jumped straight out of the boat into the water,
00:21:38and now he's in the well of the boat.
00:21:40And we're panicking.
00:21:42Chilly's gone for the bank, she's gone up into the mud.
00:21:44I don't want anything to do with this.
00:21:46I've had to panic a little bit and get my act together.
00:21:48I've grabbed mangrove branches and bags,
00:21:50cut the ropes off, tied them all around the boat,
00:21:53and he's thrashing around trying to cave inside of my boat.
00:21:56I finally had enough stuff over the top of him
00:21:58that I thought I had him secured.
00:22:00Blindfolds the trick, but I couldn't get near his head,
00:22:02he would have taken my arms off.
00:22:04And then I've had to jump in the boat with him,
00:22:06and he's growling at me, mouth open.
00:22:09I'm throwing things on him, you know,
00:22:11trying to keep his eyes covered.
00:22:26As soon as I fired up the boat,
00:22:28that really hurt his feelings.
00:22:30He's just gone, bang!
00:22:32And I could feel the boat starting to split in him.
00:22:34Oh, my gosh, oh, my gosh.
00:22:36And as I'm going along, he fought so ferociously,
00:22:39I thought he was just going to split the boat like a tin can.
00:22:43So I've just rammed it straight up onto a mud bank,
00:22:45into the mangroves, and he's settled down again.
00:22:48And I've got him.
00:22:50I've got him.
00:22:52I've got him.
00:22:54Back in the mangroves, and he settled down again,
00:22:57and I pulled the boat off, and it took off,
00:22:59and I got back to camp, I'm on my own.
00:23:02Here's 2 or 300,
00:23:04well, it would have been about 300 kilos of crocodile
00:23:06in the boat,
00:23:08one bloke, I can't shift it.
00:23:10So I hooked it up to me four-wheel drive
00:23:12and just skull dragged the boat out of the water,
00:23:15up to my camp,
00:23:17and then I used the bull bar of my truck,
00:23:19I tipped the boat over,
00:23:21OK, what I've got to endeavour to do here, I've got to get a top rope on and try to get
00:23:30out of this bag.
00:23:33But she's a bit aggressive.
00:23:34I don't know why.
00:23:37It was a big event, trying to get around him on my own to manipulate him to get him into
00:23:42a box.
00:23:56My little dog was running around and nipping him on the tail so he'd spin round and try
00:24:00and kill her.
00:24:01Oh, crikey, what an event.
00:24:02Sorry, Dad, but I'm going to put a few more knots on it.
00:24:27Secure it.
00:24:51I finally got him up inside a box, but he was so powerful he's just gone bang and headbutted
00:24:56the front of the box and gone straight through it.
00:24:59So much for your box, Dad.
00:25:04It's gone straight through the flaming box and into the other.
00:25:07You know, it was all about teamwork.
00:25:09I guess my dad and I had worked together so long and had such a bond with each other that
00:25:18the impossible was just a walk in the park, everything was achievable.
00:25:23Together we still love Agro.
00:25:26And to this day, Agro, he's really quite aggressive towards me.
00:25:30We spend a lot of time together with that capture and he's never forgiven me.
00:25:35To this day, Agro just hates me and it's all about territory.
00:25:41He just wants me completely away from where he wants to live.
00:25:45He's got a few beautiful girls and he'll defend what is his with great aggression and violence.
00:25:53And it doesn't matter what I'm doing in his territory, he considers it as his job to kill
00:25:59me or whatever's in my hands.
00:26:02And he's claimed a couple of lawnmowers, some brush cutters, a whippersnipper, you name
00:26:08it, he's virtually grabbed it.
00:26:10Which is great.
00:26:11He's grabbed and killed the machinery rather than me, which, well, machinery is easily
00:26:17replaced, arms, legs and lives aren't.
00:26:20You can't blame him.
00:26:21I love Agro.
00:26:22I mean, he's the most beautiful, boisterous, naughty male crocodile I've ever come across.
00:26:31And I won't want to make a mistake around him.
00:26:33So I understand the rules.
00:26:36And they're his rules.
00:26:39There was one time when I was trying to catch this particular crocodile who I caught after
00:26:45two years.
00:26:46His name was Acker.
00:26:4716 feet in length.
00:26:48I went out into the river, just this one particular night, scanned the river system, bang, eyeshine.
00:27:11Picked up this eyeshine, went over towards it, it was just myself and my dog in the still
00:27:15of the night.
00:27:16And as I went over, I thought, wow, that's a big croc.
00:27:18And I got right up on top of it, and it was about 10 feet in length.
00:27:22And I thought, heck, this is one of the girls, I better see if I can get a net around her
00:27:28and catch her.
00:27:29So what I did was I went into the mangroves, because she was just sitting underneath the
00:27:33mangroves on a rising tide, and of course the tides flow really quickly.
00:27:38So I've gone into the mangroves, attached a big net, and then I've reversed the boat
00:27:42back out into the river and allowed myself to drift with the tide around the crocodile.
00:27:47I thought, you beauty, she's submerged, but she should be inside the net.
00:27:53And then I picked up the spotlight and looked out into the net, and sure enough, the net
00:27:57got a V in it, so there was obviously a croc in it.
00:28:00So I fired up the boat, which must have scared the croc, and then the net went completely
00:28:05V.
00:28:06And as I got up, caught up to the net, the net was together and going against the current
00:28:12upstream.
00:28:13I'm thinking, heck, this is a bigger crocodile than I thought.
00:28:16And then where I'd attached it to the mangroves, that broke off, and now the net is going right
00:28:23upstream together, and quickly.
00:28:26So I jammed it in forward, and I've caught up to the net, and in a panicked moment, I've
00:28:29grabbed the net, tied it around the bow of the boat, hooked it up, and I thought, yeah,
00:28:33gotcha now.
00:28:34Uh-uh, wrong.
00:28:35The bow of the boat dug under the water, I've gone crikey.
00:28:41So I've jumped back, and I've hit it in reverse, which meant the boat went further under the
00:28:44water, and it's still towing me upstream.
00:28:47What had happened is the big male crocodile, which is around 16 feet, was sitting right
00:28:53near his girl, defending her, he's gone into the net, and I didn't know this, and the front
00:28:59of me boat's going under, so I jammed it in forward and tried to get in front of the net.
00:29:02Luckily enough, in one almighty burst, there's all this crashing around, and bang, it's just
00:29:07snapped through the net, and all the nets just drifted back on top of me, and I was
00:29:12really relieved.
00:29:13I sat back in the boat, whew, thank goodness for that, because if I had of tangled that
00:29:17crocodile up in that net and he couldn't get away, one of us would have been in a lot of
00:29:22trouble, and it probably wasn't the crocodile.
00:29:29I finally caught Akko, and I've got mixed emotions about it.
00:29:34Many people tried to kill that crocodile.
00:29:37He's between 15, he was around about 15 feet when I caught him, he's about 16 feet now.
00:29:43He's a big black crocodile, and he was the legend of this particular river mouth.
00:29:48People have talked about him for over 20 years, all the old salty sea dogs, all the old fishermen,
00:29:54the farmers, they've all had a crack at him, tried to shoot him, and they all talk fluently
00:29:58about him, and he's got a legendary status.
00:30:04And I had this incident with him in the net, and two years later, he finally made the mistake
00:30:12of entering into one of my traps.
00:30:14And so myself and Chilly, my little dog, we've headed up, and sure enough, here he is in
00:30:18the trap.
00:30:19Unfortunately, he was that big that half of his body, his tail, and one back leg was hanging
00:30:25out of the trap, which is quite precarious.
00:30:29So I've gone into the mangroves, tied the boat off, gone, holy heck, what am I going
00:30:33to do now?
00:30:34Because he's really grumpy, and he's growling and hissing, and smashing mangroves.
00:30:40He was actually breaking mangrove trees almost four inches thick, whack, and knocking them
00:30:45over.
00:30:46And I've gone, Chilly, Chilly, get out of the boat, give me your hand.
00:30:49No way.
00:30:50My little dog, she stayed in the boat, there's no way she was getting out.
00:30:52Smart dog.
00:30:53And so I've got around the front, and he's just trying to kill me, thrashing around,
00:30:57and of course, the traps that we use, the croc can still bite through them, which means
00:31:02they can't hurt themselves, but for me, I'm in a little bit of danger.
00:31:05And I was in panic mode.
00:31:06I was virtually sweating bullets.
00:31:08So I've gone around the front of the trap trying to secure a top jaw rope so I could
00:31:12restrain him to try and deal with him, and I couldn't get anywhere near him.
00:31:16He's just so ferocious.
00:31:18Finally, he's lost a little bit of ground, he's used up a bit of energy, I've gone in,
00:31:24I've got a top jaw rope on, and then another one, and I've restrained it to two trees,
00:31:28and then he's thrashed around, the trees caved in on top of me and the trap, oh crikey, all
00:31:34hell broke loose from there, it was a struggle, and it was like, it's like being in a fight.
00:31:40I couldn't even tell you what happened from there, but I virtually got him restrained,
00:31:44and then I was stuck, what am I going to do?
00:31:47Here's one ton of crocodile, and I can't shift it.
00:31:50So, I was happy it was secured, went back to this cattle property, and I got the cattle
00:31:56farmer, and he rang up his cane farmer mates, and they all came out, and they'd come alongside
00:32:00the trap, and they were all full of bravado, yeah, yeah, we'll help you with this crocodile,
00:32:04we're big tough cane farmers.
00:32:06They got to the trap site, and here's this big black crocodile, and they go, we're not
00:32:10getting out of the boat, no way, no way.
00:32:12And finally, they did get out and help me, but what happened was, I got my backup boat
00:32:16and I pushed it alongside this big black croc, and as he death rolled, he death rolled
00:32:20into the boat, and of course, such weight, he sank, so now I've had to kind of get in
00:32:25there and bail water out, we're able to hold him out of the water, get him back to the
00:32:29boat ramp.
00:32:30It didn't stop there, we got him back to the boat ramp, but he was that heavy, eight people
00:32:34couldn't shift him, so we had to get a big front end loader from the local cattle property
00:32:39to bring it down so as we could even shift him.
00:32:42What an experience.
00:32:50And the cane farmers not only were big lads that were great at shifting such a big animal,
00:32:56they were excellent at camera work too.
00:32:58I felt sorry that I had removed the ultimate predator and the king of his territory, I
00:33:16took him away, I removed him from his natural environment, and that hurt my feelings.
00:33:22He's a legendary crocodile that everyone talked about, and inevitably, if I was able to catch
00:33:27him, someone would have shot him.
00:33:30So I saved his life, and I love him dearly, but I felt very sorry that I had to remove
00:33:37the king from his territory.
00:33:40I guess time heals all wounds, particularly with Akka, now he's the king of a new territory.
00:33:49Steve and I have had some good times over the years, we've also had the normal off times,
00:33:55most father and son do I think, but any time that we went crocodile catching, the person
00:34:08that I wanted next to me was Steve.
00:34:14We could catch a large crocodile and the two of us would know exactly what each other was
00:34:24going to do without talking about it.
00:34:30I certainly trust Steven with my life.
00:34:34When I started in the mid-80s catching crocodiles, my best friend was my little dog, Chilly.
00:34:43Now Chilly, I guess, was a wild dog, I found her in Cape York Peninsula, and I was up there
00:34:50looking for taipans and green pythons, and she stumbled into our camp, and I fell in
00:34:57love with her straight away, gorgeous little Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and she really
00:35:01enjoyed our company, and so we camped out on the tarp under the stars, and she thought
00:35:07I'll camp with these guys, she was really excited, and she thought oh they'll need a
00:35:10feed, and so she disappeared for about half an hour, and we're just starting to bed down
00:35:15thinking oh a bit sleepy, I wonder where that dog went, rustle rustle, I could hear it coming,
00:35:20and here's this dog, she comes up onto the middle of our tarp, right in between our beds,
00:35:25and plonks down this pig's head, this rotting pig's head, and she was so proud, she bought
00:35:32us a feed, and it's like oh yeah well, good on ya, but we had to flick it off, and she
00:35:37camped down with us, and she just wanted to hang out with us, so we spent some time with
00:35:41her, and she just wanted to stay with us, and she became my best friend, and then in
00:35:45the mid 80s, I went full time catching crocodiles, you know, myself and dad, the big tag team,
00:35:52and so myself and Chilly, we spent a lot of our life together up in the bush, and she
00:35:59was dead set my best friend, my greatest companion ever, and we worked really well together as
00:36:07a team.
00:36:08Hey Chilly dog, I've been trailing these pigs for about a kilometre, maybe two, what
00:36:16have you got there Chilly dog?
00:36:23She's on to something.
00:36:31I'd go in on a croc, and she'd run round and bark bark bark, and the croc would try and
00:36:35kill her, so I was able to top jaw rope it, we were a great team, a really really good
00:36:39team, and a very unfortunate thing happened in that I had to get, I had to catch some
00:36:47pigs for croc bait, and these local lads, they wanted to come out, they knew a good
00:36:56spot to catch pigs, and I didn't like the thought of them coming down with rifles and
00:37:01shooting around my dog, because she was really good at finding the pigs, anyway one thing
00:37:05led to another, and we got on to a big mob of pigs, and I said to them right, now what
00:37:10will happen is Chilly, she'll pick the biggest boar, and she'll lug it, she'll grab it by
00:37:15the ear and hold it until I get there, and I'm able to wrestle it over and tie it up,
00:37:21and she did that, she went in and she locked down on the big pig, and I couldn't get there
00:37:29quick enough, and one of the other blokes got in there and he was scared, and he went
00:37:38in with his gun, and I guess he was intimidated, and he boom, just shot at this pig, and he
00:37:46killed my dog, and it really, the greatest amount of pain I've ever felt, ever, was losing
00:37:57my best friend, she died very quickly, instantaneously, and I had a lot of trouble dealing with it,
00:38:05and I felt very lonely, and I couldn't, I couldn't continue working up there, but I
00:38:11couldn't go home, and I cried, I just cried and cried and cried, and I didn't know what
00:38:18to do, and as luck would have it, my dad came up, he flew up, and he helped me, we
00:38:27didn't get straight out of the bush, he thought it was best that we stay there and just get
00:38:32over it, and so he stayed there with me, and we dismantled the croc traps, and he tried
00:38:39to involve me with the crocodile work, and get on with life, and we built a beautiful
00:38:45little grave site. Oh, Chilly Dog, it's so hard without you, we loved each other so
00:38:52much, and together, we're the best hunting team the North has ever known, we were so
00:38:59tough, really tough, the emptiness, the loneliness, digs in deep, and nightmares, horrific, she
00:39:11was more than a dog to me, and a lot of other people, and we'll never forget you, Chilly
00:39:18Dog, one day we'll hunt together again, I'll see you later, my small dog.
00:39:30She was the best friend I ever had, and we had the best time of our life, and she died
00:39:39doing the thing she loved the most, and that's what counts to me, she never had a bad day,
00:39:46we always had a good day, and gosh, she was a good girl, she was just the love of my life.
00:39:54G'day, and welcome to Australia Zoo, let's go.
00:39:59In the early 1990s, Mum and Dad made a decision that I'd come of age, and they handed me the
00:40:07reins of Australia Zoo, all I want to do, all I ever will do, is make them proud, this
00:40:16place is one of the greatest wildlife facilities on the face of the earth, and it is an excellent
00:40:23demonstration of Bob and Lyn Irwin's passion and enthusiasm for wildlife.
00:40:31Good morning, Douglas, how are you this morning, big boy?
00:40:41Here at Australia Zoo, if the food isn't good enough for me, then it isn't good enough for my animals.
00:40:48Steve's grown up at Australia Zoo, in with the crocodiles, teaching people about how special
00:40:54they are, and demonstrating just how volatile their behaviour can be. This is all in a day's work
00:41:00for Steve, bringing the excitement and the energy of what he has such an incredible passion for.
00:41:06Now people enjoy learning about the crocs, but Steve didn't realise that they were actually
00:41:11training him. While he was showing tens of thousands of people every year, all about these
00:41:17magnificent animals, they were gearing Steve up for the millions, even hundreds of millions of people
00:41:24he would be reaching eventually through a television audience. But somewhere in this audience,
00:41:31there's someone holding a very special surprise for Steve.
00:41:38Growing up in Eugene, Oregon, I never expected to land in Australia someday. Whether I was
00:41:44selling lemonade or exploring the woods with my family, every day was an adventure. My passion
00:41:50was wildlife. I worked with everything from little baby raccoons right up to the large predators
00:41:56like cougars. And I was always fortunate to have the backing of my parents behind me right down
00:42:01the line, even when my adventures took me down under.
00:42:05When a girlfriend of mine said she was going to Australia and would I like to go along, I decided it would
00:42:10be the perfect opportunity, not only for a little R&R, but also to find a place for other cougars and
00:42:16animals that were in captivity that couldn't be released to the wild. Now cougars are often used in the
00:42:22movie industry or commercial industry and after they grow up they need a place to live. So I thought I'd
00:42:27check out some zoos while I was in Australia. Now I came over and I never expected to end up on the
00:42:33Sunshine Coast or visiting Birwa. But sure enough, driving by, there was this little tiny sign and this
00:42:39little tiny zoo and I thought I'll just go in to check it out. I went through the gate and Australia Zoo
00:42:45opened up into these beautiful gardens and happy animals and then there was a crocodile demonstration
00:42:51going on with this guy. This man was in with a crocodile talking about animals the way you talk about
00:42:58what you had for lunch. And now I'm going to feed this huge crocodile, isn't he a little beauty, the man
00:43:04was saying. And I thought, well, I never really thought of crocodiles as beautiful, but I'll have a look.
00:43:09And I stood and listened to him talk about crocodiles, that they were passionate lovers and beautiful
00:43:15mothers and what special animals they were. I thought, hang on, I've never heard anyone talk like that.
00:43:20And then he handed the crocodile some food. It came screaming out of the water, grabbed the piece of food
00:43:25and he was as calm as if he was mailing a letter in a letterbox. I was sold. I thought this man is the most
00:43:31incredible guy I have ever seen. He's probably married. He's got to be taken.
00:43:36When I saw Terry in the crowd, I looked up and our eyes met and my heart just went bang, bang, bang, bang,
00:43:43just started thumping. It was love at first sight. I know this sounds like it's coming out of some
00:43:48Mills and Boone love novel, but it's true. Love at first sight. Next thing, whoa, I remembered where I was.
00:43:55Agro's trying to kill me. So I wound up the demo. Yep. Thanks for coming. And then she stayed back and
00:44:00talked to me. He said, hello. And I think I said something really clever like, hi. And crikey, our love
00:44:07just went ballistic. And at that precise moment, Laurie took a photograph of us. Now that photo I still
00:44:14have to this day. And it is the funniest moment. I don't know if there's many married couples who have a
00:44:19photo of the exact moment they first met, but I'm lucky enough to have that shot. I got to talking to this man
00:44:26over a course of about three days, volunteering in the zoo. He put me to work. He had me cleaning animal cages,
00:44:32raking the park. I had the time of my life and we found out we were really kindred spirits. And that's when I think
00:44:39we both knew that destiny had taken hold. Getting married was the scariest moment of my entire life.
00:44:46I was dead set sweating bullets. You know, I was sweating. My palms had beads of sweat and they were dripping
00:44:55off my fingers. I was that scared and I was shaking uncontrollably. I was just so nervous. I've never been more
00:45:02scared. I'd sooner take on a 16 foot crocodile striking at me than getting married. But I'm only going to do that once.
00:45:10We got married in the big fancy church in Eugene, Oregon, Terry's hometown. And then I got the phone call.
00:45:16I've got this problem crocodile. This bloke, this mate of mine, John Staten, he's our producer, our director.
00:45:24He's my best mate, partner. You know, he's an all-around top bloke. Well, he's on the phone.
00:45:29Come on, Steve, come back. We've got to catch this crocodile. I'm going to film it. My honeymoon, our honeymoon,
00:45:35was with a film crew, jumping and catching crocodiles in mosquito-infested swamps of North Queensland.
00:45:43And Terry, she just got amongst it.
00:45:46So off we go to save this crocodile. We are in the middle of nowhere. I've never been on a film shoot.
00:45:51I've never been wrangling crocodiles one-on-one and I didn't know what to expect. But out we go in this
00:45:57tropical mangrove mud to set up camp. And the next day I finally gear up my courage to go out and use the Aussie Dunny.
00:46:05That's right. You grab your toilet paper and you go to the nearest bush.
00:46:09I headed out to this nearest bush for a little privacy escaping the guys.
00:46:13And the next thing I know, I see this glint, this shine and movement through the bush.
00:46:18Here is this huge snake. It must have been six feet long. I picked the wrong bush.
00:46:28I didn't know what was going to happen. I didn't know if it was going to try to eat me or envenomate me or what was going on.
00:46:33And I nearly, well, kind of sat on it.
00:46:36It's a black snake. Jeez. I can't even describe it.
00:46:39Are you sure it's a black snake?
00:46:41Yeah. Oh, mate. Boy, geez, it's a big one.
00:46:46Oh, Steve, it's coming over here.
00:46:48It's alright.
00:46:49Oh, he's very naughty.
00:46:50So off I came looking terribly glamorous with my Dunny roll in hand.
00:46:54And Steve came along and, of course, tossed the snake and saved my life.
00:47:01Oh, Steve, be careful.
00:47:04Take it easy, black snake. You've got to get out of my campsite. You can't bite my wife.
00:47:08I'm going to go for a stick. It's just too aggressive.
00:47:11Get a stick. Get a stick.
00:47:14A what one?
00:47:15A bushy stick. A nice good bushy stick.
00:47:17I don't know if this is bushy enough.
00:47:19That's great.
00:47:20You want a bushier one?
00:47:22Yep, I'll get one.
00:47:38In 1992, I got married to the most beautiful person on the face of the earth.
00:47:44And we started filming Crocodile Hunter, the series.
00:47:49And I was, I guess, out of my element to speak.
00:47:54I was in my element doing the crocodiles and the snakes and the goannas.
00:47:58I was out of my element with a new wife that all of a sudden I'm trying to keep her alive as well.
00:48:04Just remember one thing. This is a land crocodile.
00:48:06You mess up with this and you're looking in a lot of trouble.
00:48:09Right. What do you mean a lot of trouble?
00:48:11I mean a lot of trouble.
00:48:13And I had a little bit of a halfway in and out of my element with this camera or cameras right there smack in my face
00:48:22while I'm hanging off the bad side of a red-bellied black snake or a big 11-foot crocodile.
00:48:40Okay.
00:48:43So after the honeymoon, we embarked on the greatest wildlife experience of our life.
00:48:54I got some big mini dinosaurs. Aren't they gorgeous?
00:48:58I got some big mini dinosaurs. Aren't they gorgeous?
00:49:12Whoa.
00:49:14Hey, hold on.
00:49:17Hey, whoa.
00:49:18Whoa.
00:49:19Whoa.
00:49:20Whoa.
00:49:21Whoa.
00:49:22Whoa.
00:49:23Whoa.
00:49:24Whoa.
00:49:25Whoa.
00:49:26Our wildlife documentaries were so successful that we embarked on a series 2 and even 3.
00:49:43At this point, other things were developing as well, and Steve and I decided to start
00:49:48a family.
00:49:49Now, there was no slowing down or keeping me at home.
00:49:52I wanted to be right in the thick of things, continuing our filming.
00:49:56I felt it would be really healthy for a developing baby to get to travel and experience my excitement
00:50:02and feel how passionate I always am for wildlife.
00:50:05So Steve, true to form, included me in everything, venomous or not.
00:50:11Yeah, g'day, Steve here.
00:50:15Yep.
00:50:16So your water's broken?
00:50:18I'm on my way, babe, I'm on my way.
00:50:25I'm on my way, babe, I'm on my way.
00:50:27I'll be there very shortly.
00:50:32Try and find my keys.
00:50:34Yep.
00:50:35Yep, I'll be there in two hours.
00:50:39Ah!
00:50:40Panic time.
00:50:42Where's my keys?
00:50:43Okay, Steve, I think.
00:50:44Where did you put your keys?
00:50:48Oh, my...
00:50:49My life.
00:50:50Hey, how you doing?
00:50:51All right.
00:50:52Come on in.
00:50:53Hey, do you finally find some of the park?
00:50:54Do I look really foxy?
00:50:55Yeah.
00:50:56Yeah.
00:50:57Yeah.
00:50:58Yeah.
00:50:59Yeah.
00:51:00Yeah.
00:51:01Yeah.
00:51:02Yeah.
00:51:03Yeah.
00:51:04Yeah.
00:51:05Yeah.
00:51:06Yeah.
00:51:07Yeah.
00:51:08Yeah.
00:51:09Yeah.
00:51:10Yeah.
00:51:11Yeah.
00:51:12Yeah.
00:51:13Yeah.
00:51:14Yeah.
00:51:15Yeah.
00:51:16Oh, you looking foxy?
00:51:17Yeah, here.
00:51:18Got all...
00:51:19Supposed to be having contractions, you know.
00:51:21Did you find any other, like, guys that you could bring to me?
00:51:25Yeah, I've got a couple.
00:51:27Hitchhikers or anywhere else?
00:51:29So true to his nature, Innie comes with a full film crew
00:51:33to film the big event.
00:51:35Oh, goody.
00:51:36Terri starts going through the labour pains and
00:51:39you know, she's holding my arm and my thighs.
00:51:43If I had bruising after it, she was grabbing hold that hard.
00:51:45Anyone that's given birth, gee, you know what it's like.
00:51:49It's an incredible experience and quite an amount of pain.
00:51:52The obstetrician was an absolute legend of a man.
00:52:03He goes, right-o, right-o, here it comes.
00:52:06OK, Steve, grab the head.
00:52:09Here's my daughter's head.
00:52:11And I can see it, and there's the blood and the reality
00:52:15of giving birth.
00:52:17And I've gone to grab the head, and he's gone, no, grab it,
00:52:20grab it.
00:52:22It's a little girl.
00:52:23It's a little baby.
00:52:25It's a girl?
00:52:26Whack.
00:52:27And here's this little baby girl.
00:52:29I swear she's fitted right in here in the palms of my hands.
00:52:34I can't believe it.
00:52:36I can't believe we threw a girl.
00:52:40I thought you were going to be a boy.
00:52:42Yeah.
00:52:47I was flabbergasted.
00:52:48And it was then that her name evolved.
00:52:52I've gone Bindi, after my favorite crocodile, Bindi.
00:52:56And Terry's gone, it's a girl.
00:52:59And I've gone, yes, sweetheart.
00:53:01And she's gone Bindi Sue, of course, Sue,
00:53:04after my dog, Suey.
00:53:05So Bindi Sue Irwin.
00:53:08And I just, I was like, it was a combination of adrenaline
00:53:12and just emotion.
00:53:14Bindi Sue.
00:53:15How do you like being named after a crocodile and a dog?
00:53:19You remember, if you don't get to go catch crocodiles
00:53:21with daddy, you just scream like that.
00:53:23And you're not going to make a bit of crocodile
00:53:29back at that side.
00:53:30You're not going to go see Komodo dragons.
00:53:33Yes.
00:53:34And they'll really respond to that crying.
00:53:38I cut the cord, too, you know?
00:53:40Wow.
00:53:41Wow.
00:53:42Anyway, cut the cord.
00:53:44And like, she's gone onto Terry's chest.
00:53:46And we had a few tears.
00:53:47And it was very emotion-packed.
00:53:49You're very small.
00:53:54She's really mad.
00:53:56I can see why.
00:53:57She's really mad.
00:53:59Why wouldn't you be?
00:54:01It's OK.
00:54:03It's OK.
00:54:04It's OK.
00:54:05It's all right.
00:54:07Bindi Sue, you have to run a zoo in a few years.
00:54:11Yeah, I know.
00:54:12I'd be upset, too.
00:54:13It's a huge responsibility.
00:54:15Hey, Stevie, you got your wish?
00:54:17Yeah, you know, I was just wishing for a girl.
00:54:20And I got one.
00:54:22Unreal.
00:54:25And I ran around the hospital.
00:54:26Look at this.
00:54:27Look at this.
00:54:28And they're like, yes, we've got our own.
00:54:29Yeah, but you haven't got one like this one.
00:54:31Look at this little beauty.
00:54:33Look at this little beauty I'm showing everyone.
00:54:35The nurses, the other ladies that have just given birth.
00:54:37And they're like, oh, crikey.
00:54:39I am the proudest father on the face of the earth.
00:54:41No doubt.
00:54:43Back he came.
00:54:44He didn't even want me to hold her.
00:54:45They bonded immediately.
00:54:47And Steve has been absolutely the best dad.
00:54:51Bindi just has him wrapped around her little finger.
00:55:06She went on her first wildlife documentary shoot at six days old.
00:55:21She went on her first overseas trip when she was just two weeks old.
00:55:30Whoo.
00:55:32We just crossed the Rio Grande.
00:55:34So that's Bindi and Steve-O's first trip to Mexico on the 20th of August, 1998.
00:55:41Happy days.
00:55:44She's in Mexico.
00:55:47She's a little bandito, Bindi.
00:55:49Little bandito.
00:55:51And she's been filming with us non-stop ever since.
00:55:54And it's been a blast.
00:55:56And here she is in her first chopper.
00:55:59And she's loving it.
00:56:01She's loving it.
00:56:04She wants to do this.
00:56:06Look at my baby.
00:56:08Bindi, baby.
00:56:10Okay.
00:56:14We're going to Queensland.
00:56:16It's a long walk.
00:56:18We're very close.
00:56:20Here we go.
00:56:24Hey, we made it.
00:56:26Amen.
00:56:29Where are these monkeys?
00:56:35I'm going to catch daddy.
00:56:37Daddy gets in front of me.
00:56:39And he gets the snake.
00:56:43You get the snake, Bindi.
00:56:45You get the snake.
00:56:47Get the snake.
00:56:49You hold the spotlight, mum, mum.
00:56:51Got it. You hold the spotlight, Bindi.
00:56:53And then daddy grabs the puppet.
00:56:55And he gets it.
00:56:57I've got the tail in between my legs.
00:56:59And I hang in like this.
00:57:01I arm the crocodile.
00:57:03He's biting my arm.
00:57:13The croc hunter wildlife films
00:57:15have gifted me something
00:57:17that I never really anticipated.
00:57:19I never thought I'd be able to achieve.
00:57:21And that is
00:57:23taking my concentration
00:57:26and taking my conservation message
00:57:28to the world.
00:57:30Easy to tell they're a skink
00:57:32because they've got a very thick,
00:57:34fleshy tongue.
00:57:36Beautiful little animals.
00:57:38Absolutely glorious.
00:57:40G'day. I'm Steve Irwin.
00:57:42And these are highly venomous
00:57:44sea kraits.
00:57:46This island moves with them.
00:57:48Dragon poo.
00:57:50Now, like all goannas
00:57:52or most large goannas' large monitors,
00:57:55their poo is very significant.
00:57:57Not only is it significant to me,
00:57:59the researcher,
00:58:01but it's also significant to other dragons.
00:58:03This poo will tell another dragon
00:58:05exactly what's going on.
00:58:07Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
00:58:09Here's some elephant dung.
00:58:11Check out the butterfly
00:58:13sucking up the nutrients.
00:58:15It's interesting how the ecosystem
00:58:17revolves around a large mammal.
00:58:21And here it is. Check this out.
00:58:25Look at the size of it.
00:58:29It's a steamer.
00:58:31Smell that?
00:58:35Oh, mate.
00:58:37Smell that.
00:58:41There's nothing quite like eucalyptus gum leaves.
00:58:45Oh. How's that?
00:58:49How's that? I can feel the little baby
00:58:51moving in her tummy.
00:58:54Is this your first baby?
00:58:56It's confusing when it's your first baby,
00:58:58isn't it?
00:59:04I guess I was in his way.
00:59:06So...
00:59:10I just want to share with you
00:59:12the importance of this little girl here
00:59:14because if she dies,
00:59:16perhaps she will
00:59:18help
00:59:20the rest of them out in the wild
00:59:23and
00:59:25maybe secure
00:59:27some habitat.
00:59:29You're killing me.
00:59:33Huge, big plate head.
00:59:39I guess that's orangutan
00:59:41for get out of my jungle.
00:59:47When he brings that tail up,
00:59:49that's like, excuse me, get out.
00:59:53You're all right, mate.
00:59:55Look at her.
00:59:57She's had her tail burnt.
00:59:59Really badly burnt.
01:00:01She's got eggs, too.
01:00:03You're all right, sweetheart.
01:00:05I'm going to save your life.
01:00:07Walking across the plains of Africa,
01:00:09I'm going to get up close and personal
01:00:11with the most exciting wild creatures
01:00:13in the animal kingdom,
01:00:15the dangerous Africans.
01:00:17Cool.
01:00:19This boy means business.
01:00:21This is 12 foot of sheer power.
01:00:23Anthony, a crocodile,
01:00:25we had to save
01:00:27or he would have died
01:00:29and all he wants to do
01:00:31is see me dead.
01:00:37I will put my life on the line
01:00:39to save this creature.
01:00:41I'm going to save
01:00:43this creature.
01:00:46I'm going to put my life on the line
01:00:48to protect, save and rescue
01:00:50the crocodiles I love.
01:00:52Thank goodness we had the diggers,
01:00:54the Australian Armed Forces
01:00:56and my Australia Zoo team there
01:00:58to help us rescue this croc.
01:01:00Another successful rescue.
01:01:02It's a black mamba.
01:01:04It's a black mamba.
01:01:06Yes, he's aggressive.
01:01:08He's got his head up.
01:01:10You're kidding.
01:01:12Woo, black mamba.
01:01:15That's the way they ran.
01:01:17Bang.
01:01:19Those tusks are thick as my wrist.
01:01:21Welcome to the highlands
01:01:23of New Guinea,
01:01:25here in Irian Jaya.
01:01:27This is German from Amunme tribe.
01:01:29Special handshake.
01:01:39This was the sunrise
01:01:41we'll never forget.
01:01:44My birthday I'll always remember.
01:01:50It seems all we can do now
01:01:52is comfort them
01:01:54in the most dismal part
01:01:56of their entire life.
01:01:58The majority are dead.
01:02:00The rest are dying.
01:02:02We're just going to stay with them
01:02:04and try and be as comforting
01:02:06as we possibly can.
01:02:08It appears that a couple of beasts
01:02:10they send out distress calls
01:02:13so the whole pod came in
01:02:15dying on the beach.
01:02:17If there's one thing
01:02:19that I, Steve Irwin,
01:02:21would want to be remembered for
01:02:23it's be remembered
01:02:25for passion
01:02:27and enthusiasm.
01:02:29Conservation is
01:02:31my job, my life,
01:02:33my whole persona.
01:02:35So these spitting cobras
01:02:37they're highly venomous.
01:02:39Spitting.
01:02:43Ah!
01:02:45There's nothing in there.
01:02:51Oh!
01:02:59No, no, no, no!
01:03:01Get out of here!
01:03:03Kill both of them.
01:03:09I'm nowhere near as good as the orangs.
01:03:11In Australia,
01:03:13look at that.
01:03:17She's still weeing on him.
01:03:19What do you think?
01:03:41In my life dealing with wildlife
01:03:43I've been gored, clawed,
01:03:45chomped, bitten,
01:03:47savaged, jumped on, whacked,
01:03:49peed on, even groped.
01:03:51And every single time
01:03:53it's been my fault.
01:03:55If I get bitten, I've made the mistake.
01:03:57I knew what I was up against
01:03:59when I went in on that animal.
01:04:01And it's been a giant learning curve for me.
01:04:03I jumped on a crocodile
01:04:05and it was a bad jump.
01:04:07Under the water, whack!
01:04:10I've got scars all over my face.
01:04:12Terry tore my ear in half.
01:04:14No two fingers are the same.
01:04:16They've been snapped, split, chomped,
01:04:18nails ripped off.
01:04:20Have a look at my hands.
01:04:22Virtually scars on scars.
01:04:24You can't see the last bite
01:04:26because it's scar on scar.
01:04:28And this isn't some giant ego trip.
01:04:30It's just that I've got to get the camera.
01:04:32I've got to be right in there.
01:04:34I have to get right fair smack
01:04:36into the action.
01:04:38Because this day has come
01:04:40where the audience, you,
01:04:42need to come with me
01:04:44and be there with that animal.
01:04:46If there's whales dying on the beach
01:04:48on the western side of Tasmania,
01:04:50I want to share it with you.
01:04:52Because if we can touch people
01:04:54about wildlife, then they want
01:04:56to save it.
01:04:58If you go to SeaWorld and you get to have
01:05:00an encounter with a dolphin,
01:05:02you want to save dolphins.
01:05:04Gone are the days of sitting back
01:05:06on the long lens on the tripod
01:05:08and looking at wildlife
01:05:10way over there.
01:05:12Come with me.
01:05:14Share it with me.
01:05:16Share my wildlife with me.
01:05:18Because humans want to save
01:05:20things that they love.
01:05:22My job.
01:05:24My mission.
01:05:26The reason I've been put onto this planet
01:05:28is to save wildlife.
01:05:30And I thank you for coming with me.
01:05:32Yeah, let's get them.
01:05:34Hold on to him, Mum.
01:05:36Hold on to him.
01:05:38I'd like to dedicate this program
01:05:40and my entire life to my Mum,
01:05:42Lynn Irwin.
01:05:44She was the greatest wildlife rehabilitator
01:05:46in the world.
01:05:48A true pioneer.
01:05:50Lynn was my legend.
01:05:52And in my heart,
01:05:54she'll live forever.