Search Results for: blog ten facts about the crocodile hunter steve irwin

The Crocodile Hunter’s Family Speaks out Against Whaling

The family of the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin — wife Terri and daughter Bindi — are making 2008 their year for a campaign against Japanese whaling. After Steve Irwin’s death in 2007, Terri Irwin purchased a whale watching business. That whale watching business will help launch the Irwin family’s anti-whaling project. Terri’s goal is to demonstrate that whale research can be done without killing — Japanese whalers continue to hunt and kill humpbacks in the name of science. Whale data gathered by Irwin’s whale watching business in the southern hemisphere will be analyzed at Oregon State University. Japan has … Continue reading →

My Top 5 Animal Loving Role Models

For National Inspirational Role Model Month (which November is) over in Marriage I wrote about my favorite TV wives as role models from the 1950s thru the 1970s and 1980s thru the present. Here in Pets I’d like to do something similar: list those people involved with animals who influenced me to love and care for them like I do. 1. My dad, Ralph Mroch: My dad’s got to have one of the most tender hearts towards animals of anyone in my family. As I wrote about in Where My Compassion for Animals Comes From, I get my love of … Continue reading →

National Wildlife Day: How You Can Help

Last month I wrote about National Dog Day sponsored by the Animal Miracle Foundation. Today is another AMF sponsored day, National Wildlife Day. What It’s About Initially the woman who created these days, Colleen Paige, was going to have this one fall on June 6th. However, she changed it to September 4th to honor “the last day that Steve Irwin graced this planet.” The goal is to raise awareness of the non-domestic creatures those of us who are urban dwellers may forget about. The ones who are endangered or otherwise threatened, but who can be saved with a little help … Continue reading →

Can Animal Planet Scare Your Pet?

Are you the kind of pet parent who leaves Animal Planet on when you’re away from home? I have a lot of pet parent friends who do this. It makes sense. Animal Planet…animals are featured…pets should like this. Right? But what if it scares them? A little while back I watched Bailey, a neighbor’s dog, for a day. It wasn’t an overnight thing; all I had to do was stop over for a couple of pee-break visits and such. So she wouldn’t get too lonely in the interim, her mom left Animal Planet on for her. During my last visit … Continue reading →

In Memoriam: Jacques Cousteau

“When you dive, you begin to feel that you’re an angel.” ~Jacques Cousteau Before there was the “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, there was Jacques Cousteau. Heck, the Steve Irwin’s of the world may have come to be because of Jacques Cousteau. Ten years ago today, June 25, 1997, Commander Cousteau (as he was known to many around the world), succumbed to a heart attack and died. I wanted to write to honor him today because I remember “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau” and how it captivated my then young mind and imagination. His passion and love for the water … Continue reading →

On Koalas, Dogs, and Writing: An Interview with Author Lee Barwood

I’ve interviewed a couple of authors now. Besides the fact that many base animal characters on their own pets, or that animals influence their writing as a career choice in some way, they all have something else in common too: a deep sense of reverence, tenderness, and love for their pets that only an animal can elicit. Lee Barwood is no exception. And perhaps she sums it up best in her answer to my question about whether animals factor into her fiction writing. “I think we’ve gotten too far removed from animals in modern life,” she says. “and if we … Continue reading →

A New Steve Irwin Special to Air January 21st

It has been about four months since we all learned of the death of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin. I still find it hard to believe he is gone. He worked with creatures far more dangerous than the stingray that killed him. After Steve’s death, we heard all types of statistics about how stingray attacks are rare and even then, even fewer are fatal. I cannot remember the exact statistic, but I think I remember Steve was the first person to be killed by a stingray in something like 40+ years. You may have watched the memorial that aired for Steve … Continue reading →

In Memoriam – 2006

Each year, we lose many talented and brilliant celebrities. Some are taken in what seems like an untimely manner while others live to a ripe old age. Here are some of the people we lost in 2006: Lou Rawls, 72 – singer January 6th Rawls was known for his R&B hits such as “”You’ll Never Find, Another Love Like Mine.” Shelley Winters, 83 – Actress January 14th Shelley won two Oscars for supporting roles in The Diary of Anne Frank and A Patch of Blue. Wilson Pickett, 64 – Singer January 19th Wilson was famous for such hits as “In … Continue reading →

Oh No They Didn’t!

“South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have always played with fire. It is often as if they do not even know the meaning of the phrase “bad taste.” Of course, for perhaps this very reason, they have garnered a loyal following. In the past, “South Park” has taken shots at George Clooney for mocking his Oscar acceptance speech for its political overtones and the Catholic Church when they showed an episode of the Virgin Mary was bleeding. One of their biggest controversies to date was with Scientology and some of its celebrity followers. Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and … Continue reading →

Hey True Blue: Steve Irwin, our Mate, He’s Fair Dinkum Gone.

Hey True Blue, don’t say you’ve gone Say you’ve knocked off for a smoko And you’ll be back later on Hey True Blue, Hey True Blue. Lyrics by John Williamson (“Hey True Blue” was Steve’s favorite song and it was sung by John Williamson at Steve’s Memorial service at the Australia Zoo on 20.9.06.) Steve Irwin has knocked off for smoko (finished for a smoke or tea break). His smoko is going to be a long one and people all over the world will sorely miss him. I know that many people are struggling to make sense of such a … Continue reading →