The Crocodile Hunter: The Incredible Life and Adventures of Steve and Terri Irwin by Steve Irwin, Terri Irwin Page A

that we had turned off the main road. As I looked around to see where we were I saw a sign that read “Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park.” I figured it must be just a little roadside zoo with a few snakes in a shed, but desperately needing a wildlife “fix,” I decided to head in.
    As we went in, we were informed that there was a crocodile demonstration going on and we hurried over to the demonstration area. As I maneuvered my way to the center of the crowd I saw two men with a large crocodile talking about the reptile’s eating habits and territorial behavior.

    Steve in the early nineties.
    Before I really knew what was happening, one of the men calmly walked up to the croc and held out a piece of food. As the croc’s huge head lifted up and his powerful jaws opened wide, it astounded me how cool and collected this zookeeper seemed. I was used to the hype and fanfare that went with even the simplest task when handlers were working with dangerous wild animals in the United States, and here was an Aussie bloke with one of the most dangerous animals on earth looking more like he was mailing a letter than depositing food into bone-crushing jaws. What’s more, he spoke with genuine love and affection about a crocodile that was large enough to consider the keeper himself as a food item.
    I was captivated. Sadly, the demonstration was quickly over. A million questions went through my mind and I desperately wanted to see more. Then we were told that another crocodile demonstration would start in just a few minutes in the environmental park. I couldn’t get to the admissions office fast enough to buy my ticket. What luck!
    The keeper I’d seen was back for this demonstration as well. His enthusiastic love for these animals was contagious. It became impossible to see freshwater crocodiles as snappy little monsters. As he continued his talk I found my focus shifting from these most impressive crocodiles to the man who was speaking so passionately about them.
    When we came to the last enclosure, the keeper began explaining why and how the crocodiles are caught out of the bush. I didn’t need to be convinced that someone could be frightened of even a small crocodile; that was easy to believe. The amazing part was the way the crocodiles were captured. The keeper told of going out at night in a small boat and locating the crocs by their eyes glowing red in the glare of a spotlight. As one man idled the boat up to the crocodile, another keeper would position himself at the bow of the boat. As soon as the boat was close enough, he would leap into the water and grab the croc around the neck. As the crocodile struggled, man and beast would end up at the bottom of the river. After a bounce off the bottom, the crocodile would be flipped into the boat and become the driver’s problem from there!
    This was too incredible. Who was this man who spoke so casually of jumping into the water to wrestle crocodiles? He looked to be about my age and wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, but surely this wonderful guy must have already been snapped up by some lucky girl. How could I possibly get a chance to talk to him, anyway?
    As we were leaving this enclosure for our final educational talk in the museum area, I was struggling to think of something terribly witty to say. I had no idea of how to get the keeper’s attention when I turned around to see Lori talking to him. I couldn’t believe it! I edged my way out of the crowd and waited for Lori to catch up. As I looked toward them, his eyes met mine. It was as if we had always known each other. As I edged closer, he smiled and introduced himself as Steve Irwin.
    We started talking and became lost in conversation. Maybe a few minutes went by, or maybe an hour. All I knew was that I wanted this day to go on forever. Suddenly, we were aware of a car horn blaring in the car park. I had to go. As we walked toward the entrance I realized that I didn’t even know if Steve was “taken” or not! He