Croc Wrestler, R.I.P.

From the Wall Street Journal editorial page:

"I want to excite hundreds of millions of people about wildlife rather than just one or two million. That's my style."

So said Steve Irwin, who died yesterday while fulfilling his life's ambition of working close to dangerous wildlife. Through his perch at the Discovery network, "The Crocodile Hunter" riveted TV audiences world-wide with his fearless exploits in the animal kingdom, from wrestling crocodiles to swimming alongside penguins. "Crikey!" he'd exclaim, with boyish and genuine delight.

His love for the animal kingdom was born early. The son of a herpetologist and a veterinarian, Mr. Irwin inherited a small zoo from his parents and built it into a national symbol. Like his zoo, Mr. Irwin also gained fame, becoming arguably the best known Australian who didn't work in Hollywood.

Many will note the irony that Mr. Irwin was killed off the coast of Queensland by a blow to the chest from a stingray, which rarely attacks humans. But Mr. Irwin knew the risks of his trade and had escaped death more than once. Everyone from kids to the prime minister mourned him.

Among adults, Mr. Irwin sometimes invited mockery with his antics. But by getting up close and personal with some of Earth's most unpopular animals, he was an environmentalist in the best possible sense. In his special way, Mr. Irwin opened eyes to what was amazing and miraculous, if never entirely lovable, about all of God's creatures. Even the poisonous ones.