Steve Irwin, known worldwide as the "Crocodile Hunter," was killed Sept. 4 while making an undersea nature film off the coast of Australia.

The 44-year-old Irwin, who gained fame as a naturalist and environmentalist on the Animal Planet network, was killed when he was swimming near a stingray and the animal struck its venomous barb into Irwin's chest.

Although primarily known for his exploits with crocodiles, Australian Irwin, along with his American wife, Terri, was also an animal welfare activist. In a 1999 interview with Reptiles magazine, Irwin said that after he married in 1992, he began focusing more on mammals and their preservation.

"We eat, sleep and live for education for conservation," he said. "And with our wildlife documentaries, all we want to do is get the cameras right fair smack in where it's happening."

Discovery Communications, which owns Animal Planet, the cable network that broadcasts Irwin's programs, crreated the Steve Irwin Crocodile Hunter Fund to help Australia Zoo, Irwin's refuge for animals.

Irwin is survived by his wife and two young children.

Posted: Nov. 1, 2006