When the Croc Hunter came to Sri Lanka

“I trust animals…..how could I not trust a man?” Lalinka Muthukumarana was surprised to hear these words from international celebrity, Steve Irwin, when Steve called him in response to an invitation to produce a wildlife programme in Sri Lanka, in 2003.

Lalinka had never met Steve before and only knew him like many others did – as the Aussie star who hosted the famous television show, ‘Crocodile Hunter’ on Discovery channel. Even though Lalinka had studied for his Bachelor’s degree in Perth, Australia from 1996 – 2001, he had never met Steve.

When he returned to Sri Lanka to begin his own business along with his partner Roshan Ratnayake, Lalinka decided to turn his personal love of wildlife into something more. Why not produce a documentary on Sri Lankan wildlife?

On impulse, Lalinka sent Steve an e-mail, describing the wealth of wildlife in the island and asking if he would be interested in doing a special segment of his programme here. Would he trust him, he wondered, a stranger from a faraway island. To his amazement, Steve responded promptly that he would. Excited, Lalinka and Roshan made arrangements for Steve and his crew to visit the country.

Now, as the world mourns the sudden and tragic death of Steve Irwin, Lalinka recalls the wonderful experience of working with a man who had such a gift for communicating not only with wild animals, but also with people from different cultures and backgrounds. “One of the best things that Steve taught me was that you don’t need to know the language to converse with people,” says Lalinka as he speaks of the natural warmth with which Steve got along with Sri Lankans at all levels.

When it came to animals, Steve’s knowledge was incredible, says Lalinka. “He would just look at a monkey on a tree and tell you every single detail about it. He was also fearless when it came to dangerous situations involving animals – but it was a bravery that came of knowing exactly what he was doing.”

While filming in the Bundala National Park, a wild elephant had charged them, sending the trackers and the crew scattering for safety. Steve alone, had stood his ground and walked towards the charging elephant. A few feet away from Steve, the elephant had come to a halt, and then slowly backed off. “It was a special talent with Steve,” Lalinka recalls. “Animals seemed to understand him.” In another instance, he swam behind a man-eating crocodile underwater to capture its muddy home on film.

Steve was also fascinated by snakes and believed that all animals should go free in the wild where they would be safe from harm and not a danger to humans. They once came across a troupe of gypsies with their snakes and monkeys in a village. Steve stopped to ask them if he could buy all their animals and the gypsies agreed to sell only the snakes -12 of them – for Rs.80,000. With the 12 snakes in the back of their jeep Steve and Lalinka drove to a deserted jungle area in Kandy and set them free. The snakes vanished in an instant, recollects Lalinka, and Steve remarked, “See how much they longed to be free.”

It wasn’t only animals, says Lalinka, Steve loved people, especially children, and he wanted to experience the essence of everything Sri Lankan. If they passed farmers harvesting in paddy fields, he would get off the vehicle and join them. He once joined a group of village children playing cricket, remarking, “How can an Aussie pass by without joining a game of cricket?” He even drove a three-wheeler through the streets of Colombo, remembers Lalinka.

For a man who fearlessly courted danger – often dealing with animals such as sharks, killer jellyfish, man-eating crocodiles, snakes and spiders with fatal stings – death came from a most unexpected source at the age of 44. While he was diving in the warm waters of Queensland's Great Barrier Reef to film a documentary, a stingray shot its poisonous barb into his heart. He is said to have suffered instant cardiac arrest.

Stingrays flex their serrated barbs, which are up to 10 inches long, when frightened. Steve is believed to be one of three people who have died in such a manner in Australian waters.

He was planning to visit Sri Lanka again next year, says Lalinka sadly, still unable to come to terms with the shocking nature of the death of a man who had become his friend and mentor over the years. “He loved Sri Lanka and its people – he wanted to spread the message that we were so fortunate to have such beautiful and spectacular wildlife within easy reach.”

Through his programmes, Steve played a major role in educating people around the world about all species of animals and the need for worldwide wildlife conservation. He even had plans to embark on an Elephant Conservation Programme in Sri Lanka.

Lalinka says that he hopes to continue Steve’s good work by bringing his eight-year-old daughter, Bindi Sue, who is also planning to launch her own wildlife programme for children, to do a programme here.

Steve believed that children, especially, should be taught the value of nature, and that the natural love that they have for animals should be nurtured into adulthood. Lalinka hopes his legacy will continue through his young children, Bindi Sue and Bob.