Friday marks 20 years since Australian wildlife presenter Steve Irwin died, and Danish crocodile zoo founder René Hedegaard has used the anniversary to recall Irwin’s influence on nature broadcasting.
DR reports that September 4, 2026, marks two decades since Irwin died at the age of 44. He was killed during television filming at the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, when a stingray struck him next to the heart.
ABC News in Australia reports that Irwin was in shallow water at Batt Reef, near Port Douglas in Queensland, at around 11 a.m. The barb of a short-tailed stingray pierced his heart, and attempts by his crew to resuscitate him failed. According to The News International, he was shooting underwater material for the documentary Ocean’s Deadliest.
One of Irwin’s Danish admirers is René Hedegaard, director and founder of Krokodille Zoo on Falster. He told DR that many people have done remarkable work with crocodiles, but that nobody came close to Irwin’s popularity.
Per Hedegaard, Irwin’s enthusiasm was highly contagious, something a colleague in the same field could admire and also envy slightly. He said Irwin would throw his arms wide and make himself look twice as large in front of the animals to drive his message home.
Hedegaard began building Krokodille Zoo 36 years ago and opened it to visitors ten years later. Krokodille Zoo is among the Danish zoos that specialize in reptiles, and its director says he shares Irwin’s goal of spreading knowledge about the world’s crocodiles.
Australia Zoo still run by the family
Irwin also ran a zoo in Beerwah in the state of Queensland together with his wife. DR notes that he grew up in the park, which his parents founded in 1970, and that he took over its operation 20 years later.
The park, now called Australia Zoo, is run today by Terri Irwin and the couple’s two children, Bindi and Robert. BBC News notes that Bindi marked the 20th anniversary with a tribute describing her father as a superhero dad.
Hedegaard told DR that he is glad the family has continued the park. He added that, in his view, none of them match Irwin’s particular talent for presenting animals to an audience.
The Danish zoo director also had reservations about Irwin’s later work. He said Irwin covered too many species and should have stayed with snakes and crocodiles, and that he stopped watching some programs.
Hedegaard pointed out that broadcaster David Attenborough, now 100, has scaled back his activities compared with earlier years. He said it would be good to see a new presenter travel the world and show viewers wildlife and nature.
