Look To The Stars News: Steve Irwin

Celebrate Steve Irwin Day At Australia Zoo

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:30:00 -0000

Crikey! Did you know tomorrow, November 15, is Steve Irwin Day at Australia Zoo in Brisbane?

There’ll be a ton of ripper activities down at the zoo for the day, kicking off with a free BBQ breakie in the carpark from 6am. Gates open at 8am, and Terri Irwin will launch the day’s festivities at 10am at the Crocoseum, along with Captain Paul Watson from the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. This will be followed by a Bindiwear fashion parade, a special performance from Bindi and the Crocmen, an Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors show featuring Terri feeding the Crocodiles, a performance from Australia’s very own Thirsty Merc, and the chance to be the first to play the new Nintendo Wii and DS Planet Rescue games: Wildlife Vet, Animal Emergency, Endangered Island, and Ocean Patrol – designed to teach young players to save, nurture and heal endangered animals.

And in true Steve-o tradition, come along dressed in your Khakis and get 10% off admission to Australia Zoo and a free gift.

Both Terri and Bindi Irwin will be available all day to sign autographs.

Steve Irwin Day aims to raise money for Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, and to help continue Steve’s conservation work and the preservation of wildlife and wild places. Terri Irwin has made an international plea to stop whaling, joining forces with the Oregon State University (OSU) Marine Mammal Institute to gather non-lethal biological research from Humpback Whales. She aims to raise a total of $1.5 million for whale research for the next three years.

“We will be celebrating Steve’s life and achievements through Steve Irwin Day on November 15,” said Terri. “Steve left behind an extraordinary legacy, which we will make sure lives on forever. Together, we can stand shoulder to shoulder to honor this remarkable man. It is only with your help that we can achieve the vision of one man who truly made a difference.”

If you can’t make it on the day, the festivities will be broadcast by webcam here.

Crikey! Irwin Featured On Stamp For Charity

Fri, 09 Nov 2007 10:01:44 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

The life of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin is to be commemorated with a new postage stamp in his homeland of Australia, a year after his tragic death.

The new stamp, produced in association with New Idea magazine, features Irwin alongside his daughter, Bindi, his son, Bob, and a very large snake, in an image that was used as the magazine’s commemorative cover shortly after Irwin was killed by a stingray on the Great Barrier Reef in 2006.

The stamp is the result of a survey held by New Idea, in which readers were asked to name the Australian celebrity they would most like to see honored in a postage stamp – the public voted unanimously for Irwin.

“We were overwhelmed with the response to the public poll, and are happy to support New Idea in this initiative,” said Australia Post’s Michael Zsolt. “This is the first time that an Australian magazine cover has been made available to the general public on an Australia Post product.”

Proceeds from the 46 cent stamp will go to Irwin’s charity, Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation set up by Irwin and his wife, Terri, in 2002. It will also be released in time for the inaugural Steve Irwin Day on November 14, a day set aside by the state of Queensland to honor him. Steve Irwin Day hopes to celebrate the three things Irwin was passionate about – wildlife, family, and fun – and Irwin’s Australia Zoo is backing the event with several fundraising initiatives to benefit Wildlife Warriors Worldwide. These include Khaki Day, in which people in workplaces are encouraged to wear shirts of the color made famous by Irwin, and Backyard Campout, in which people are encouraged to gain sponsorship to camp out in their garden – and anywhere else they choose.

The charity will also be holding several auctions on the day and in the following months. Items for sale include a Harley Davidson motorcycle that features a special Wildlife Warriors design, and a khaki shirt signed by celebrities such as Jesse McCartney, Johnny Knoxville, surfing legend Kelly Slater, Aussie rocker Jimmy Barnes, and Little Britain’s Matt Lucas and David Walliams.

More information on Steve Irwin Day can be found at www.wildlifewarriors.org.au.

Natalie Portman Films Documentary On Rwanda's Gorillas

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 09:49:08 -0000

Written by Tim Saunders

Actress Natalie Portman has teamed up with wildlife expert Jack Hanna to make a TV special on the plight of gorillas in Rwanda.

The hour-long documentary, called Gorillas On The Brink, will go to air on the Animal Planet channel on October 26, and will feature the pair as they travel deep into the jungles of the Congo’s Virunga National Park in search of the endangered Mountain Gorilla.

The documentary follows the 26 year old star’s appearance at a gorilla naming ceremony held in Rwanda in July, in which a host of celebrities gathered to name 23 baby gorillas at a Rwandan wildlife sanctuary to raise awareness of the species’ possible extinction. Portman named her gorilla Ahazaza, which means “Future” in the native Rwandan language. Another was named in the memory of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, who was planning a trip to the African nation before being killed by a stingray while filming a documentary at the Great Barrier Reef in September 2006. His gorilla was named Ingufu, which means “Strength”.

According to figures published by the WWF, there are only 700 Mountain Gorillas left in the world, and just over half of these live around the lush Virunga volcanoes that straddle Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their populations are being decimated by conflict and poaching, although the efforts of several conservation organizations, such as the African Conservation Program and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, are trying to reverse this.

“This is one of the biggest conservation efforts in the world,” said Jack Hanna.

The plight of Rwanda’s Mountain Gorillas first rose to the public’s attention after the 1988 film, Gorillas In The Mist, based on the book of the same name by famed gorilla conservationist, Dian Fossey. They have now become a tourist attraction for the war-stricken nation, although they are still at risk from fighting militias. Visitors pay up to $500 to gain access to the Virunga National Park, and the nation earned $36 million from tourism in 2006. The Government aims to raise $100 million per year from gorilla tourism by 2010.

“We have every good reason to celebrate these gorillas,” said Rosette Rugamba, Director General of the Rwanda Tourism Centre. “The benefits they have brought to our country and people speak volumes.”

Natalie Portman is not the only celebrity involved in the conservation of this unique species. New Zealand-born supermodel and patron of the Born Free Foundation, Rachel Hunter, has also launched a desperate plea to save the animals.

“I am not afraid to say I wept when I saw pictures of the shot gorillas,” she said in a double page advert in Britain’s The Sun newspaper following the publication of gruesome photos of gorillas being slaughtered by poachers. “Charities that work in the area have got together to fund round-the-clock patrols by park rangers for the next three months, but they need more funding to carry on. This is absolutely vital.”

The screening schedule for Gorillas On The Brink can be viewed at http://animal.discovery.com, and more information on the plight of the gorillas, including the very latest news from Rwanda, can be found at www.rwanda-gorillas.com.

Charity Founded by Steve Irwin to Sell Wristbands Benefiting Wildlife

Mon, 06 Nov 2006 07:12:09 -0000

Written by Robert Powers

Though Steve Irwin was tragically killed in September diving off the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, his legacy will live on in charities that work to help save endangered wildlife.

The charity he co-founded in 2002 with his wife, Teri, the Wildlife Warriors Worldwide (WWW), has announced a plan to sell green wristbands with the words “Wildlife Warrior” embossed on them.

Michael Hornby, fund manager for the WWW, has said that the planning for the sale of the wristbands had been in the works for six months, but “with the untimely passing of our good mate, Steve,” he said, “I guess this project has brought on added meaning.”

The wristbands coincide with the sale of a DVD that feature Irwin’s memorial services, which, when they were being broadcast live from the Australia Zoo, could be seen worldwide.

All proceeds from the wristbands and the DVD will go to benefit the WWW directly.

Irwin’s eight year-old daughter, Bindi, has in a way become the unofficial face of the campaign. Speaking at her father’s memorial service said that she wanted to help save animals “just like he did.”

She more recently called the wristbands “super cool” and said that, “green is the color of nature, and if you wear one it will show that you are really into wildlife and that you are going to make a difference, like my daddy did.”

Irwin supporters give $1.5m to charity

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 13:49:59 -0000

Written by Steve Purcell

Following the death of popular Australian wildlife filmmaker and conservationist Steve Irwin on 4th September, an estimated 300m viewers worldwide watched the televised memorial service.

50,000 fans showed their support directly by pledging time or money to Irwin’s conservation charity Wildlife Warriors Worldwide, donating a total of 1.5m Australian Dollars.

The charity’s executive manager Michael Hornby, said that while the donations have been overwhelming, it is sad that it has taken his friend’s death to bring the issue to the fore.

“So many new people have got engaged for the first time,” he said.

“That gives us a sense, I guess, of authority or conviction that we can go and talk to decision makers now and let them know that environmental issues are now on top of the agenda because Steve made it that way.”

Hornby added, “We need to make sure that we provide sustainable programs that make the most impact on our environment for the better for the future.”

Steve Irwin Killed While Filming

Mon, 04 Sep 2006 19:30:29 -0000

Written by Myrlia Purcell

Conservationist Steve Irwin, died today after being fatally pierced through the heart by a stingray barb.

“Today the world has lost a great wildlife icon, a passionate conservationist and one of the proudest Dad’s on the planet. He died doing what he loved best, he left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind, he would’ve said ‘crocs rule’,” said John Stainton, a close friend and producer of Steve Irwin’s Film Company, Best Picture.

“He was one of my best, closest friends, we’ve been together for 20 years, we’ve been shooting documentaries for fifteen years, I’ve never known a more professional man in my life and a more passionate person on wildlife and conservation issues,” Stainton said.

Discovery Communications founder and chairman John Hendricks commented, “Steve was a larger-than-life force. He brought joy and learning about the natural world to millions and millions of people across the globe.”

Irwin’s show, “Crocodile Hunter” aired on the company’s Animal Planet network, and the company is now looking at creating the Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter Fund to support wildlife protection, education and conservation, as well as aid Irwin’s Australia Zoo and provide educational support for his children.

Irwin founded the Steve Irwin Conservation Foundation, which later became Wildlife Warriors Worldwide. He is survived by his wife, Terri and his two children, Bindi (8) and Bob (2 1/2).

Look To The Stars News: Steve Irwin

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