Look To The Stars News: Wildlife Warriors Worldwide

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.

Eliska Sursova: Saving stolen animals in Southern Africa

Fri, 30 Nov 2007 10:12:17 -0000

Written by Charles Alleckman

In the midst of a rumored break-up with boyfriend and Australian footballer Chris Knights, 19-year-old model-esque actress Eliska Sursova appears to be holding down the fort the way all Hollywood’s finest activists do – by going to Namibia to save the elephants of course.

Taking some time off from her busy schedule and after wraping up filming on her first Public Service Announcment for Greenpeace alongside actor Milo Ventimiglia, Eliska travelled to southern Africa with fifteen members of a non-profit organization to protest the poaching of exotic animals in the Republic of Namibia and spoke out against the exotic animal trade, all while helping to build much needed water holds for African elephants.

“Africa is home to some of the world’s most beautiful creatures and their biggest predator is man. We steal them, abuse them, kill them… all for the benefit of entertainment and luxury,” says the actress whose busy activist schedule sees her campaigning for animal welfare and environmental organizations like World Society for the Protection of Animals, Wildlife Warriors Worldwide and PETA.

Spending an extended 39 days (from the planned 28) in Namibia, the Hollywood phenomenon assisted multiple welfare societies in their quest to shut down the exotic animal black market, a trade in which tigers, bears, birds and reptiles are trapped and sold illegally to international customers. “These animals don’t belong in bedrooms or in cages in your yard. It’s their natural instinct to run, hunt, interact and reproduce.”

On her return home to New York City this week, the exhausted actress recalled moments where she felt immense failure. “Anyone that decides to do this kind of thing needs to be mentally prepared to find or witness things that will haunt them for the rest of their life. You feel such a desire to beat the bad guys that you don’t tend to think about that side of things until you’re there and it’s all around you. It does make you more determined to end the suffering, but you spend most of the night crying into someone else’s lap.”

Eliska admits that, despite her sizzling movie-star career, “there is nothing in this world that will feel as good as helping to make a difference. There are issues, issue after issue and it’s up to us, every day regular people to figure it out. To know that because of you, there are some animals still roaming Africa instead of sitting alone in a cage… I can’t even describe that feeling.”

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.

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: Wildlife Warriors Worldwide

Celebrate Steve Irwin Day At Australia Zoo

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