The Crocodile Hunter: The Incredible Life and Adventures of Steve and Terri Irwin (24 page)

“Bindi Sue,” I said, thinking of Steve’s little dog Sui.

Steve and me minutes after Bindi's birth.

Steve immediately took off to show the entire maternity ward his beautiful Bindi Sue. Never mind that they all had their own new babies, Steve’s enthusiasm could not be stifled. After about an hour, the midwife was beginning to worry. “Is he coming back?” she queried. Just then Steve returned with a very content little Bindi. She had just gone on her first adventure with her dad—and there were many more to come!

Bindi was born on a Friday night, July 24, 1998. We had a wonderful weekend together watching the rainbow lorikeets and honeyeaters on the bottle brush trees outside the hospital window. I told Bindi all about the exciting life that awaited her and we both caught up on some much needed sleep. The first of the week was upon us in no time and with it came the unescapable commitments of Australia Zoo. Steve’s dream for the zoo included expanding our property before surrounding housing developments squeezed us into one small area. This was the day we were to close on another thirty-five acres adjoining us. Bindi was restless, as if she knew something important was going on. We bundled her up and headed for home, but stopped at the attorney’s office on the way. Not even three days old, Bindi’s first trip into the big wide world was to take another step toward securing her future with wildlife conservation.

We hadn’t been home long when the advice started pouring in. It seemed everyone had an opinion on how to raise the newest Irwin. Some said not to take her outside for at least six weeks, others said not to let her ride in the car, and I even heard criticism for wanting to take Bindi to the office with me. Luckily, Steve and I had already planned that no matter what, we’d be together as a family. I felt in my heart that if we just showered Bindi with love, we couldn’t go wrong. So it just made sense that Bindi should go with us on a day shoot with sea turtles. Bindi was now six days old. We rode with John Stainton because there just wasn’t enough room in Steve’s car. I’ve never seen John drive so carefully. Bindi didn’t mind a bit. She slept most of the day and hung out with the soundman when it was my turn on camera. The day went so smoothly, we knew that we’d made the right decision. Bindi wouldn’t just be a part of our lives at Australia Zoo, she was ready to hit the road filming wildlife documentaries, too.

Steve with five-minute-old Bindi.

Bindi was just two weeks old when we took off for her first international film shoot in the United States. The trip had been planned for some time and we thought Steve would be going on his own. What a wonderful turn of events that Bindi came early enough that we could go, too. Bindi took the long flight in her stride, sleeping most of the way from Brisbane to Sydney to Los Angeles. The flight attendants commented on how tiny she was, as she could lie down on an airline pillow with room left over! Our first stop was California, where among other things we filmed the California brown tarantula. Bindi seemed intrigued by the giant spiders, trying hard to focus on them when they would stroll past. She didn’t mind the huge arachnids one bit, but coming from Australia’s winter to Southern California’s summer made her more than a little cranky. When she got hot and mad, her whole body would go red. It did make things a bit easier for me: when Bindi got air-conditioning, I got air-conditioning!

Our next stop was Texas, where we hired a small aircraft to get us into a tiny little strip in the middle of a remote national park. We arrived just before dark in torrential rain. We were thirty miles from the nearest accommodation and the rental car was nowhere to be seen. Luckily there was a pay phone at the airstrip so we could call the rental vehicle people. We were shocked to find out that, with the rising water due to the rain, the woman with the rental car was afraid to pick us up. We tried to explain our situation: the pilot had to get the plane out before dark, we had a baby with us, and we were basically stranded. Much to our amazement, she still wouldn’t come. Just as we were about to start searching for some kind of shelter, a pickup truck came bouncing down the track. Inside was a very kind Mexican-American schoolteacher, and his pet Chihuahua. Bindi was quite content to snuggle down into her car seat and there was just room enough for both of us, and a bit of critical camera gear, in the front of the pickup. Steve and the crew all hopped in the bed of the pickup and prepared for a long, wet, uncomfortable ride. In spite of one or two tricky creek crossings, we made it safe and sound. Bindi looked very peaceful as she slept right through. Our first day in Texas and the adventures had already begun!

In the morning the sun was shining as if there never was a storm the night before. We started out early in search of the ruins of some local homesteads. We were hoping to check out likely areas for snakes well before the heat of the day. Any snake species would do, but Steve was really hoping to find some big beautiful rattlers.

As we approached the first dwelling, we could see that it had been built to last. The timber roof had rotted away, but that was understandable considering the house was well over a hundred years old. The rock walls were made well and truly still intact. They had only started to crumble away and still provided shade and shelter for any wildlife living inside.

Bindi's first snake experience. Love at first sight!

Steve went in first and immediately began turning over every bit of timber and rubble on the floor.

Suddenly I heard the all too familiar call, “Snake!” as Steve spotted movement in the corner of the room. As I rushed over with Bindi, I could see not one, but two snakes moving away from us. As Steve gingerly picked one up, he noticed that not only were these snakes nonvenomous, they seemed uninclined to bite. While Steve was showing me their beautiful coloration and lovely nature, one stretched out toward me as if to investigate what I was all about. Since I was holding Bindi, I could only put out one hand for the snake to rest on. The next thing I knew, Bindi raised her tiny fists in the direction of the snake and stared intently at it, trying to hold focus. Both snakes were now coming over to check out this little person. As they flicked their tongues in and out, smelling Bindi in an attempt to identify what she was, Bindi continued to show interest. This was Bindi’s first snake experience and already we could see that the die was cast. She absolutely loved snakes. Definitely a chip off the old block!

Our first overseas film shoot with Bindi had been a real success. She turned out to be a wonderful traveler and seemed as happy on the road as she was at home. We arrived back at Australia Zoo in time for her one-month birthday. Steve was getting more confident when he held Bindi and really wanted to give her a tour of the zoo. After all, someday this could all belong to her. Each day Steve would introduce Bindi to a new animal and she loved it! By the time she was two months old, Bindi had met every animal at Australia Zoo. She touched a boa constrictor, went in with the alligators, and attended numerous crocodile demonstrations.

Bindi and me.

Bindi’s education with wildlife had begun. With some of the most dangerous animals in the world literally in her backyard, Bindi would have to learn a lot more than caution with hot stoves and busy roads. In much the same way aborigines have raised their children for the last forty thousand years, we would have to teach Bindi how to coexist with the natural world. After all, wild animals would become part of her daily encounters.

Steve loved spending time with Bindi and would take her with him while he was working on new enclosures. She became so keen on visiting the zoo sites with him that the sound of the motorbike would cause her to react. Bindi loved to go putting around the zoo with Dad on the bike.

By the time Bindi was a year old she had already become such a seasoned traveler with half a dozen trips to America and numerous trips filming around Australia, I didn’t think anything would faze her. A film shoot in Florida would prove me wrong.

Bindi loves riding the motorbike with her dad.

Steve and I had received a request from Elgin Air Force Base to relocate a problem alligator. The eight-foot-plus gator had become too accustomed to receiving handouts from humans and had lost its fear of people. It would only be a matter of time until the alligator became large enough to pose a real threat, and it was decided to move it to a more remote area on the base. This made for an excellent filming opportunity and a lucky break for the alligator. Most “pest” alligators end up in a farm where they are killed to make boots, bags, and belts. Our air force gator had a chance for a much happier ending.