玩“蟒蛇”少年成为鳄鱼“救世主”，史蒂夫·欧文如何缔造动物保护帝国

上周五是史蒂夫·欧文57周年诞辰。当天谷歌公司推出了与他有关的定制版谷歌搜索主页图标Google Doodle ，缅怀这位已故环保主义者和动物保护人士，纪念其生平和毕生追求的事业。

小时候的欧文不过是个喜爱爬行动物的孩子。但后来两个新物种以他的名字命名，也凭借电视节目《鳄鱼猎人》（The Crocodile Hunter）享誉世界。

传奇人生始于爬行动物

欧文从小就喜欢大型爬行动物，上世纪70年代初，他过六岁生日时父母送给他一条三米多的蟒蛇，还在澳大利亚昆士兰州开了一家爬行动物公园。

欧文9岁就知道如何应付鳄鱼。当时他在昆士兰州的东海岸鳄鱼管理项目中做志愿者，该项目负责捕捉并重新安置咸水鳄鱼确保能安全生活。后来他接手管理家族的公园，还改名为澳大利亚动物园。

成为“鳄鱼猎人”

结婚后，欧文和妻子特里在度蜜月时也没闲着，没几天便赶回澳大利亚阻止偷猎者捕杀鳄鱼。夫妇二人邀请电影摄制组跟踪拍摄全过程，后来这段记录成了《鳄鱼猎人》第一集内容。纪录片讲述了欧文如何拯救濒危且往往比较危险的动物。播出后获得了巨大的成功，在100多个国家向超过5亿观众播放。欧文的女儿宾蒂和儿子罗伯特也在片中出镜。

欧文遇难 事业后继有人

2006年，在拍摄纪录片《动物世界：最知名的海洋生物》（Ocean’s Deadliest）时，欧文被一条魟鱼刺穿胸膛，失血过多而死。

此后，欧文的妻儿继续他未竟的事业，投身于保护野生动物。欧文家族的澳大利亚动物园规模继续扩大，迄今已有1200多只动物。家人还开设野生动物医院，管理支持动物保护项目的非营利组织。

Friday would have been Steve Irwin’s 57th birthday. In celebration of Irwin’s life and legacy, Google is featuring the late conservationist and zookeeper in a Google Doodle slideshow.

But before Steve Irwin became known around the world for his TV series The Crocodile Hunter—and before he had two species named after him—Irwin was just a kid who loved reptiles.

Steve Irwin’s Reptilian Beginnings

Irwin’s love for large reptiles started a young age—his parents gave him an 11-foot python for his sixth birthday, and opened a reptile park in Queensland, Australia, in the early 1970s.

Irwin learned how to wrestle crocodiles from the age of nine and volunteered with Queensland’s East Coast Crocodile Management Program, which captured and relocated endangered saltwater crocodiles to safety. Irwin later took over management of his family’s park, which was eventually renamed the Australia Zoo.

Irwin Becomes The Crocodile Hunter

Instead of a traditional honeymoon, Irwin and his wife Terri went back to Australia following their wedding to try to stop a poacher from killing a crocodile. The couple invited a film crew to join them, and the footage of their efforts later became the first episode of The Crocodile Hunter. The show, in which Irwin fought to save endangered, and oftentimes dangerous, animals evolved into a massive success, airing in more than 100 countries to more than 500 million people. The show also featured Irwin’s daughter, Bindi, and son, Robert.

Steve Irwin’s Death and Legacy

In 2006, while filming an episode of Ocean’s Deadliest, Irwin was stabbed by a stingray. The stingray’s barb pierced his chest and Irwin bled to death.

Irwin’s wife and children are continuing his legacy, dedicating their lives to wildlife conservation. The family’s Australia Zoo continues to grow with more than 1,200 animals to date. The family also has a wildlife hospital and oversees a non-profit organization that supports conservation projects.

风靡全球的“哎呀！”

欧文最为人所知的可能就是“哎呀”（Crikey），这个词是澳大利亚表示惊讶的土语。他在电视节目里经常冒出这句口头禅，现在家人也继续说。去年秋季他们就在自己的节目《哎呀！这是欧文一家》（Crikey! It’s the Irwins）中频繁使用。该节目在动物节目专属频道动物星球频道中播出，取景地就在欧文家的澳大利亚动物园。

青史留名

目前有两种生物以欧文的名字命名。1997年欧文发现了一种新海龟种群，后来命名为欧文癞头龟。

2009年，昆士兰州博物馆的科学家发现了一种树蜗。为了表示纪念，命名为哎呀史蒂夫欧文蜗牛。（财富中文网）

译者：Pessy

审校：夏林

‘Crikey!’

Irwin was perhaps best known for popularizing the term “crikey!” a word that became his catchphrase on the show. His family is carrying on the phrase as well, with their own show that premiered last fall. Called Crikey! It’s the Irwins, the Animal Planet show goes behind the scenes at the Australia Zoo.

The Irwin Name

Irwin has two species named after him. In 1997, Irwin discovered a new turtle species, which was given the name elseya irwini, or Irwin’s snapping turtle.

In 2009, a scientist at the Queensland Museum discovered a new type of tree snail. In Irwin’s honor, the snail was fittingly called crikey steveirwini.