Who Am I? Celebrating a famous or infamous person born this month. Who Am I? Print a "Who Am I?" SIGN. Add a "clue" in the textbox, print, and post on your bulletin board. Post a different clue every day or so and see who can guess the identity of the mystery person of the month. Then plan a "Who Am I?" discussion and reminiscence activity. (See below for additional activity suggestions.) Do you know who I am? Here are some clues: 1. I was born on February 22, 1962. 2. I’m from Australia. I was born near Melbourne. 3. My parents opened up a special type of park when I was a child. 4. My dad was a herpetologist and spent a lot of time with reptiles. 5. One of my first pets was a 12-foot scrub python named Fred. 6. My wife Terri and I met after one of my thrilling performances. 7. I have a daughter, Bindi, and a son, Bob. 8. I took over my parents’ park in 2001, renaming it the Australia Zoo. 9. My TV show originally aired in North America on the Discovery Channel. 10. I drew a large crowd at the Australia Zoo because of my fearlessness. 11. I devoted my life to animal conservation. 12. I was on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno many times. 13. I’ve been called a thrill seeker and an adrenaline junkie. 14. My father taught me how to wrestle a crocodile when I was only 9 years old. 15. My honeymoon was going crocodile trapping with my new wife. 16. My favorite animal is the crocodile, though I’m fond of all reptiles. 17. My catchphrase “Crickey!” was very popular for a time. ActivityConnection.com - Who Am I? - February 2010 - Page 1 Have you guessed who I am? I am Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter! (Note: In this activity, we recommend allowing the answers “Steve Irwin” or “Crocodile Hunter” to be counted as correct.) Print a copy of the PICTURES for a closer look at this and other pictures of Steve Irwin and discuss the information in this article with your group. Steve Irwin, Wildlife Warrior Steve Irwin was born just outside of Melbourne, Australia, on February 22, 1962. His mother, Lyn, was a nurse by trade but spent her spare time dedicated to wildlife rehabilitation, and his father, Bob, a plumber, shared his wife’s enthusiasm. It is not surprising then that young Steve Irwin developed a love of animals at an early age. After years of hard work and saving, the family realized their dream of abandoning their workaday lifestyle and pursuing their dreams. In 1970, they moved to the Sunshine Coast and opened the Beerwah Reptile Park. Though his father was originally unnerved by Steve’s fearlessness around potentially deadly animals, he soon recognized his son’s natural talent and began to teach him the trade. At age 6, Steve owned his first python, and when he was just 9, his father coached him through wrestling and subduing his first wild crocodile. After this initial experience, Irwin was hooked and knew there was no other life for him. He continued helping his parents around the park until he was of age to start volunteering for the Queensland government, relocating crocodiles that had ventured too close to human settlements. While these crocodiles were generally regarded as a menace, Irwin was glad to help them find a new home either further out in the wilderness or at his park, which eventually became the Australia Zoo. ActivityConnection.com - Who Am I? - February 2010 - Page 2 Steve Irwin had an auspicious year in 1991; his father handed over the reigns of the animal park and a short while later, he met Terri Raines, a native of Oregon, U.S.A. Terri was visiting Australia on vacation from her own work rehabilitating wild animals in the states. Never a more wellmatched couple have met. After a whirlwind 8-month romance, the two were married. For their honeymoon, they chose to go on a crocodile trapping adventure, which they filmed, becoming the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter. The show, which made it to Australian televisions in 1996, was a hit. Not willing to let the charismatic croc chaser pass them by, the Discovery Channel started airing the show in North America the following year, and suddenly Steve Irwin found himself at the center of international attention, with a viewership that reached 500 million. Irwin, with his trademark chipper attitude and charmingly boyish approach to his hazardous work, certainly made an impression. His catchphrase “Crickey!” became a common piece of household humor and his outback style of speaking sparked a flurry of interest in Australia. It’s safe to say that The Crocodile Hunter also helped bolster an interest in animal preservation and created a new generation of children who have been inspired to devote time and attention to the cause. Some people thought that Steve Irwin’s aggressive manner of dealing with animals was too invasive and in some cases, as with a visit to Antarctica during which Irwin allegedly broke conservation guidelines by getting too close to a group of penguins, it has been said that his approach did more harm to the cause than good. Overall, however, Irwin’s accomplishments in the name of animal conservation outweigh these minor and infrequent controversies. In 1998, Terri and Steve Irwin had their first child, who they named Bindi Sue, taking the name from Steve’s favorite crocodile, Bindi, and the family’s beloved dog, Sui. Then, in 2003, the couple had their second child, Bob, named after Steve’s father. By 2006, at the tender age of 8 years, Bindi was already filming her own nature show, Bindi, The Jungle Girl, which airs on the TV channel Discovery Kids. Steve Irwin’s inspirational life was cut short on September 4, 2006, when he was just 44 years old. He was unexpectedly struck by a stingray when snorkeling at Australia’s Great Barrier Reef while filming an episode for his show. The tragedy stunned the world. As a longtime friend, John Stainton, said after the incident, “He died doing what he loves best, and left this world in a happy and peaceful state of mind.” ActivityConnection.com - Who Am I? - February 2010 - Page 3 Discussion Starters • Steve Irwin’s parents, Bob and Lyn, worked for years doing jobs they didn’t enjoy in order to save enough money to pursue their dream of opening an animal park. Do you think it’s better to do unfulfilling work while trying to accomplish a goal, or is it more important to be happy with what you have? Have you ever made a significant sacrifice in order to pursue a dream? • Steve Irwin idolized his father and began to follow in his footsteps at a very young age, eventually taking over his father’s animal park in 2001. Did you follow in your parents’ footsteps or did you choose a different path? Did your parents have career expectations for you? Who inspired you to live your life the way you have? • What do you think of Steve Irwin’s approach to animal conservation? Do you think it’s worth potentially bending the rules to accomplish a greater goal? Additional Activities 1. Buy or rent episodes of The Crocodile Hunter with Steve Irwin – it’ll be just like taking your group out on safari in the outback! 2. Plan an “animal day” and invite folks from the neighborhood to bring in their pets. 3. See our Theme of the Month page for all of our “safari” ideas this month. ActivityConnection.com - Who Am I? - February 2010 - Page 4 Type your clues here. ActivityConnection.com - What Am I? (sign) - February 2010 Steve Irwin ActivityConnection.com - Who Am I? (pictures) - February 2010 - Page 1 Bindi, Terri, and Steve ActivityConnection.com - Who Am I? (pictures) - February 2010 - Page 2 Feeding time! ActivityConnection.com - Who Am I? (pictures) - February 2010 - Page 3