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<DOCID>Steve_Irwin.doc.txt</DOCID>
<AUTHOR>Kenneth Casperson</AUTHOR>
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Sunday night marked the passing of Steve Irwin, known to many by his popular TV show and persona, The Crocodile Hunter. Not a hunter in the manner some might think, Irwin was ever a champion of all forms of wildlife and strove his entire life to demystify the creatures that haunt the nightmares of people and show that they are something to be respected and admired rather than feared. The son of zookeepers, he worked as one himself in Australia for many years before starting his own show.  He started his show with nothing more than himself, his wife, and a camera crew (and on his honeymoon no less), Irwin rose to become an internationally recognized Wildlife Warrior.

Far beyond what many considered insane stunts with dangerous animals, Irwins work heightened awareness for all forms of wildlife and his support was instrumental in launching other shows as well as the entire Animal Planet channel. Irwins commitment to animals never wavered throughout his career, nor his compassion or his boundless enthusiasm  as anyone who has ever seen his show or met the man in person can attest. In my opinion, Steve was a great man and an inspiration to us all, especially myself, says Corey Johnson, 2010, I decided a long time ago to follow in his footsteps, which is the reason I decided to follow this career in Biology and wildlife conservation. His passing came as a shock but we should all remember what he stood for and ensure that we carry it through our lives as well. Irwin died doing what he loved in his homeland Australia, filming his latest documentary, titled Oceans Deadliest in the Great Barrier Reef. Ironically he was not killed by one of the venomous or deadly creatures he championed, but by what can only be described as a horrifically unlucky sting from a stingray, which pierced the mans heart. Those who knew him will always remember his contagious enthusiasm, even those of us who only knew him through the windows of our televisions, but the man who described himself as being put on this earth to preserve wildlife, to show the world something many of us would never have seen without him. As he would have wished, his documentary will be completed, and his mission never forgotten. Steve, you will be missed. 

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