The Steve Irwin "The Crocodile Hunter" Memorial Geocoin
I designed this special coin in honor of my hero,
Steve Irwin--"The Crocodile Hunter"
The first run of the CRIKEY! Fundraiser coin is now sold out and all profits from the sale of this coin were donated to Wildlife Warriors Worldwide Ltd. to support Steve and Terri Irwin's ongoing work preserving and conserving the wildlife and wild places that need it the most.
Although the first minting of the Crikey! Fundraiser Geocoin has sold out I will do another run of Crikey! Fundraiser Geocoins if the demand is shown. Please take the poll below or email me to show your interest--thanks.
Steve and Terri Irwin started Wildlife Warriors in 2002 "...as a way to include and involve other caring people to support the protection of injured, threatened or endangered wildlife--from the individual animal to an entire species." (from the Wildlife Warriors Worldwide website)
Some of Wildlife Warriors projects include:
The Australian Wildlife Hospital
Species and Habitat Conservation (Asia)
Crocodile Rescue and Research (International)
Community Education (International)
Emergency Wildlife Response (including the Tsunami project)
And there is now a branch of Wildlife Warriors in Eugene Oregon--Terri Irwin's hometown!
Please read on to learn about the Crikey! Fundraiser Geocoin's story--but first click the Radio Irwin button below to listen to Steve as you read--CRIKEY Mate it's flat out like a lizard drinkin!
Background Story
On September 04, 2006 Steve Irwin tragically lost his life doing what he loved best. Steve was filming some footage for an underwater documentary and working with a Stingray when it struck resulting in his death. Steve was in the peak of his life and his career; he had developed his parents' tiny reptile park where he grew up into the world-class Australia Zoo that it is today. His passion for wildlife, compassion for animals, his co-workers and especially his family and his active involvement in wildlife and habitat conservation were infectious to almost all who watched his shows on Animal Planet or at his Zoo. Steve loved his animals but he loved his family more than words can say, you could see it in his eyes and hear it in his voice when he was speaking of them in his shows. Steve was the real deal--he was True Blue
Steve leaves behind his beautiful wife Terri and two children Bindi Sue and Robert to operate the zoo and carry on his grand conservation vision.
Steve referred to himself as a Wildlife Warrior and as I mentioned above he founded the conservation organization known as Wildlife Warriors Worldwide where he put the funds he generated from his films, Zoo and donations from people like you and me to good use protecting the wildlife and habitats that he was so passionate about. Wildlife Warriors has purchased thousands of acres of sensitive wildlife habitat areas in order to preserve these areas for the benefit of the wildlife that live there. They also operate the Australian Wildlife Hospital that cares for injured, sick and orphaned Australian wildlife, rehabilitating them and releasing them back into the wild. Please take a look at the Wildlife Warriors Worldwide website for a full description of their objectives, goals and projects.
The Crocodile Hunter's story is the story of a humble man with a great passion for life, for his family, for the planets wildlife and the environment in which we all live. Steve Irwin The Crocodile Hunter was probably one of the best known Australians in recent history and more than that he truly changed our world for the better.
Thank you Steve Irwin for your brief but oh so important time here on Earth.
More about "CRIKEY!" - the Steve Irwin memorial Geocoin.
So why have I designed this coin--at first you may think that a simple coin doesn't seem like much of a memorial to a man that had such a great influence on so many people all over the world.
This is much more than a simple coin. I designed this coin to benefit Wildlife Warriors Worldwide. ALL money generated (save production costs) from the sale of this memorial coin will be directly donated to Wildlife Warriors to be used for the conservation of wildlife and wildlife habitat that Steve Irwin was so passionate about protecting.
I also hope this coin will serve not only as a reminder of the man Steve Irwin but also as a reminder of his message of the great importance of wildlife conservation and public education about wildlife and their relationship to mankind. The Crikey coin's insert will carry the web address of this website and hopefully, those who hold this coin will view this website and be inspired to donate further to the conservation of wildlife and wild places through Wildlife Warriors then together we can all all help make a real difference in wildlife conservation worldwide. I would also wish that as the coins are bought, sold and traded in the years that follow their initial sale, that the people that acquire them will feel it in their hearts to donate further to the Wildlife Warriors Worldwide cause.
Check outthe Crikey Fundraiser geocoins that Geocachers all over the world have sent out on missions of conservation! These tiny coins will continue to spread Steve Irwin's message of wildlife conservation and understanding to the world for years to come. Thank you to the hundreds of geocachers that have bought Crikey coins to support wildlife conservation!
Some of you may say what good would a few hundred or even a few thousand dollars do toward the Wildlife Warriors Worldwide conservation goal--all I can say is that every cent counts. It all adds up and in the end and your purchase of just one coin will help save the life of an injured Koala, rescue a Carpet Python, rehabilitate a sea turtle, help purchase habitat for an Asian Elephant or provide funds for the ongoing research with Tasmanian Devils that have been stricken with a deadly contagious disease (Devil Facial Tumor Disease) that is threatening to wipe them out of existence! I know from experience that every cent truly does count because I once helped a friend operate a non-profit nature center that ran primarily on donations. Every donation, no matter how small, went to the animals food, heath care, habitat construction, utilities and so on--so all donations DO make a difference.
Take a look at this tribute video I put together from all of the photos that geocachers carrying Crikey! coins have taken during their travels!
Now check out some of the comments below that have been left by geocachers who hold Crikey! coins that are traveling all over the world spreading Steve's wildlife conservation message!
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wsgaskins: This one was a'beauty! Look at the size of this one, mate! She's almost 3" long all wrapped around the edge here. She's got a nice brass tone to 'er and it looks like she's really healthy. For this one, in 'er natural habitat like this, you have to approach 'er very carefully.
I first spotted 'er trying to hide in the bottom of a large bin with "anywhere" written on the side. I made a quick grab for the tail and crikey was she mad! She squirmed back into the tub before I could grab a'hold of 'er snout so I dove back in and wrestled 'er out again. Good thing for me that she was already bound in that plastic disc, or I may well have lost my hand.
For these beauties, the best place for 'em is to hide them in a nice dark spot and they calm right down, so I carefully placed 'er in my rucksack, determined to find a good home away from all the fuss. The next day, I'm bushwhacking out to find a good temporary 'ome for 'er and as I approach, there is none other than the other legend in this field - MaxB On The River! They've been wrestling the likes of this little trav'ler since before I even picked up a GPS. 9000+ TB's they've moved! Man, wow - that's a lot of bugs I'll tell you. And taken good care of ev'ry one! I had the fortune a few months ago to move a bug that they had rehabilitated in their care. That bug had been in sad shape until the MaxB crew cleaned it up and re-tagged it for release into the wild again. They are great stewards of the wildlife here. Mate, I'll say again, you won't meet a better couple for how they take care of injured and abandoned TB's.
Well, knew that I didn't have much chance of leaving this little beaut' here in this RBC box, with MaxB hanging around. Soon as I brought 'er out of my pack, MaxB's experienced hand was quick to grab hold of the bag and shield 'er from the harsh light. She's in safe hands, that's for sure!
Well, that's all of my tale for today. For sure MaxB On The River will take 'er places far and wide - to see the sights well beyond these urban waters of Raleigh,NC. Safe travels little croc!
fuzziebear3: I couldn't resist putting a crocodile in Lake Erie!!
BlackBrownDog: Off the island and to the Mardi Gras!
Run-Ride-Kayak-Hide Cache On The Side: Cool coin. This one is headed up into an area not usually populated by Crocks - The Tahoe Nation Forest & Mother Lode area of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Since Crocks can be elusive and like to hide in and around water, perhaps we'll make him a 49er Crock! Imagine 1849, you're looking for Gold on the Middle Fork of the American River in the Mother Lode and you find a Crock instead. Wow, what an imagination.
Ciao!
The Saints: Found this nice little bug while doing maintenance at the EEEEWWWW Lagoon. We will do our best to advance it on it's voyage to keep the goodness going.
Tony-Trekker: We are going to give Steve's Geo-coin a lift. We always admired him for his dedication to teaching us about wildlife.
FSU*Noles: wow, this is a sweet coin, it's way bigger and heavier than I thought it would be! Cool coin, the kids fought over it until I wrestled it away from them...I'll find it a good new home soon. Thanks for sharing!
Punksoulbrother: Since I say the word "Crikey" like 10 times a day for the last 10 years I thought I should pick this coin up and have me self a look bloaks. Crikey, it almost bit my hand off taking it out of the cache. I better find him a new home soon.
Edisto Patto: Coin in tribute to Steve Irwin and to raise funds to continue his work ...
happyhelpr: beautiful coin-thanks for sharing- will help him move along to the ocean.
snowball's-keepers: Way cool coin for a way cool cause! My son LOVED!! this guy when he was littler. Thanks for putting it out there!
JAMM: I hope you enjoyed your time in the Caribbean sea. Next stop will be closer to the Atlantic which is a lot colder.
renegade9: Saw this one today at the Event in Seoul Norimadang Park.
LTD.Hubb: DS'ed on Zamami Island (Japan).
MargieGerlach: The Geo-Pirates in Branson, Missouri found Crikey in our Pirate's Treasure Chest. We will be on a field trip this weekend and intend to drop him at the Henning Conservation area. Arrrh!
rtreevers:By Crikey this is a cool coin! Me thinks he needs a swampy area to visit.
USAFSP: Crikey!! its a beaut!! thanks for sharing!!
daimler ute: Found lurking in Hobart hills, will move to lower ground closer to more crocs in Queensland. Daimler Ute.
S2333: Now he will be visiting the harsh swamplands of...Perth. Those commuters are different people in their natural habitat...
lakedawgs: The coin was created to celebrate the life of Steve Irwin. To honor Steve's memory, we'd like to see this coin visit various animal sanctuaries and other locations helping and protecting animals around the world. Tell us about any places the coin encounters and what good things they're doing. About this item: If you're interested in buying a Crikey coin of your own, donating time and/or money to wildlife conservation or both, please follow this link to Crikey's site: http://www.geocities.com/thesolorover/crikeycoin.html
vladka&lup: We found it in multicash Schonbrunn in Wien. We took it to Czech republic. Thanks for nice coin.
ronbo: Got this one out of the Goat Pen and will move along.
Team Psychopuppy: Crikey! Excellent!
OzGuff: My father (Paradise Found) will be visiting Asheville in early December. Since he lives about 30 minutes from Australia Zoo I will give him the geocoin so that he can place it into my Crikey! [AUS] cache.
OzGuff: Next stop Down Under...
Paradise Found: Will be placing this is a Cache on Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Paradise Found: Geocoin was handed into Australia Zoo - December 29 - for permission to have geocoin handed to Bob Bob, Terri and Bindi for photographs - and/or to make personal contact.
Commercial management have been considering action since then and - unfortunately - no action, even though I have phoned each week. Terri and Bindi are in USA at present and will be there until Mid-March. Hope CrotalusRex and Mimichan can make contact with Terri/Bindi while they are visiting USA.
CrotalusRex and Mimichan: Thank you OzGuff and Paradise Found for helping this coin get to Australia Zoo!
The First Noel: Steve Irwin was quite an admirable man! I couldn't resist picking up this coin honoring his memory.
RollsLV: I think that it is nice trip from NATO army base to Soviet army base.
Seekerfamily: Coin is now in alligator area, will download some pics soon. Thanks for sharing this nice coin, hopefully will move again soon. Seekerfamily
Mr. & Mrs. Kensquach: Crikey!! This has got to be one of my all time favorites...I gotta get me one of these. Thanks for the discovery!!
Korat: Heading to the River of No Return.........
Edmil: To travel far and wide across the Australian Continent - and beyond - collecting 'Crikey's' along the way each time the coin is logged ensure the word Crikey appears in a sentence in the Log. In addition to the above add a wildlife picture to log.
keightvee: I battled through dense bush to lay my hands on this beaut little coin. Crikey there were a lot of spiders to dodge on the way in. Its that time of year I suppose. Didn't have my camera on hand to capture any arachnid snaps. So took a photo of one of our resident spiders in her magnificent web under our house.
Deputy D0g CRIKEY what a cool Coin .......will move along.
Bower bird: CRIKEY I hope there aren't any real crocs around here.
Tegator: CRIKEY Shes A Beauty!
Coffee and Cache: Very nice "coin." We are off to Sydney in about a week, so we'll take it and a bunch of other TB's with us.
Edmil: Crikey! There’s water nearby so the Croc has an opportunity to escape. The journey begins.
Iseek & Eyeseek2: Wildlife Images owner Dave Siddon, Jr & his family, here in Grants Pass, Oregon, knew the Irwin's and would be happy to know this coin in Steve's honor was put out. There is also a geocache there and we live a few doors down. Wildlife Images is a rehabilitation center for wild animals and also a great place to take a tour of the animals that are not able to be released back into the wild for a variety of reasons. The owner of this coin thought it might be fun to share Wildlife Images so we are including a picture of one of the residents.
Picked up this coin not knowing what it stood for and I think you will love where it is at the moment. We are just a few houses down from a place called Wildlife Images and Steve was a friend of the owner of Wildlife Images which does animal rehab back into the wild whenever possible. Anyhow, thank you for adding this nice reminder to this wonderful game and we will pass the coin along shortly. IN JOY
ORNITH : Australia was his Home but the World his Workplace. What he accomplished in his too short life is amazing. We will all be the better for it. Thanks, guys!
MrWalkie: First of these coins I've seen. Excellent cause and excellent reminder.
Goltzene: Thank you Steve for everything you have done. I hope I get to die doing what I love to do.
m0sf3t: I loved Steve on TV, glad I got to discover a coin in memory of him.
Hans Huckebein + die unfromme Helene : Is travelling and visiting rare or terrific animals. After having seen a real crocodile in Australia, the coin should return to Berlin.
Saubersauger: Dann wollen wir mal seltene und unheimliche Tiere suchen gehen. “Then we want to go looking for times rare and uncanny animals.”
Pipes_down_under : Although this did not trip around the world, it certainly travelled Oz. Will put it someplace where its chances of getting home in October is possible. Vale Steve Irwin
bubble & squeak: As crocks are a really ancient species we thought we'd drop the coin into Mendles' so it could contemplate its long past.
Diadem: Found in amongst sand dunes.
chowder & co: Retrieved this from Tassie's Belly Button and will carry it on to West Australia in the next couple of weeks.
Team Chucao : This GC was founded in Ola del Norte cache (GCQZ0B by Gromek) in Chile, placed by the Geocacher “Butane” (tnx) and place for the first time into "El Torre" (GCNQDN by Equipo Wacosta)
eyespyadventurers : My family has really enjoyed Steve's crazy 'Crikey' ways. What a joy to move this geocoin along its journey.
papabear178 : I had heard about this neat series of coins. Little Bear was a big fan of Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter, and wanted to help this coin on down the road. This coin is a nice tribute to a man of passion for life, and it's good to know that a portion from the sales of these coins is going to further his work. Thanks for sharing.
rtreevers: Found with a great view of Jack. Rescued him from a cold winter on the pass and took him to warmer country. Let see how he likes the Metolius river.
summertime fun: This travel bug is by far the coolest one we found, I have gone on line to see how to order some similar coins for friends in Iraq, thanks for sharing this. My son is having a hard time letting go of this; it's all he can talk about. We know the final destination is down under, so we are taking a considerable amount of thought in where to put this one. Will let you know. Thanks for sharing!!
Reb125: To travel from the initial cache to other Civil War sites. Steve Irwin, Wildlife Warrior, honored all veterans, and as a reenactor I would like to add this tribute to Steve, and to my friend Steve. I am friends with the designer of the Crikey! Coin, who is a huge wildlife enthusiast, reenactor, fan of Steve Irwin and all around creative and life-embracing kind of guy. My first foray into geocaching. Please carry this coin to interesting Civil War sites (any kind, you pick) and tell your story. Check out Steve O'Neil's website and get your own Crikey! coin at http://www.geocities.com/thesolorover/crikeycoin.html
Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma: What a wonderful idea to make a coin in Steve's honor. Thanks for sharing it with others. We would to buy one. Thanks again for starting this amazing coin.
CrotalusRex and Mimichan: I was the only person at the bottom of Bradley today...the thundering of the falls through the notch in the cliffs...the thunder in the distance and smell of rain in the air...suddenly I felt the hairs stand up on the back of my neck...I felt like I was being watched...I had a vision of a T-Rex watching me from the trees...or was it a dragon...or the little people the Cherokee knew...??..whatever or whomever it was I felt very small...like a bug...so primal...what a totally awesome place! Bradley's Bottom is a beautiful, wild, primal and raw place that Steve and Terri would loved to have explored so I think it is very fitting that Crikey #2 begins its travels here. Safe travels Crikey, --CrotalusRex
~Marvalus : We always loved watching Steve Irwin with the crocs, and hearing his beloved "Crikey" exclaimed with such innocence and surprise! We have our own little endangered loves at home that we will post pictures of soon.
Hikers2: How nice to honor Bob Irwin with this coin ! Exchanged it for Soccer Jack tb.
Geo13: Moving it along quickly! We were great admirers of Steve Irwin!
Ecorangers: Nice memorial/dedication/remembrance to Steve and his family. Thanks from earth angel of the ecorangers.
thetrailblazers: Found it around lots of chipmunks running around from the mountains above the lake. It is beautiful here!!! Tried to take it to Belli bear but there were too many mugglers about.
Team Gleekzorp: Found this one in Khyber Pass.
KillerTuna: I'm 11 years old and this is my first GEOCOIN. I would like for it to have a picture taken with or near a real crocodile.
ghost640: Neat coin - no worries mates!
Bandits: What an awesome coin! Glad to be able to see it and boy did we see some water today that a gator would love to crawl in. Yikes! Thanx for sharing!
legoboyjj: Traded with zsteve at an event in Eugene, Or.
siouxpergirl: Found at “Snakes in a Tree”. Believe it or not, snakes and crocodiles coexist wonderfully when they live in a tree.
lakedawgs: Yay!! Another Crikey coin! This is a great way to honor the memory of Steve Irwin and his work in animal preservation. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Ben's Honey: Swimming in the Snake River looking for dinner and caches! No bikinis or swimmers!
Felmaith: This coin would like to visit wild places and areas of natural beauty near coasts all over the world. Eventually, it would love to get to the Pinnacles Desert and Shark Bay, in Western Australia, but is just as happy to watch the wildlife near you in the meantime.
dzenis: Put in beautiful place in Latvia. G'day mate,
BeachBoy38: Retrieved from the Japanese Glass Float Games event at Lincoln City.
Northstar and Gemin: I found this croc wandering around on the river bank near the marina at Shawnee State Park. Will move him to new waters very soon! He's a dandy!
TeamThung: Absolutely love this coin, Steve Irwin was an amazing animal enthusiast and will be missed.
Johnny Cache & the Cache Crusaders: I nearly had my arm ripped off reaching for this one.
3Hawks: “I'll get this salty back in the wild ASAP.”
TripMeister: Crikey! I love this coin!! I think I'll take it to the Poconos for a little adventure. No crocs but the beavers can get pretty feisty.
Just Cache: This is a really nice coin and a great tribute to a guy who is missed much by many. Thanks for all the fun and education about our world's wildlife Mr. Irwin.
Buglady1: To save and preserve wildlife and flora everywhere. I love this coin because of the endangered wildlife it represents. Take time to learn about what is endangered in areas where you live. Learn about their habitats and respect them whenever you are out caching... Happy caching!
kandigal: I would like to say Thank You to Steve's and his family for helping to save our wildlife. Also to help educate us about wildlife.
TeamThung: Absolutely love this coin, Steve Irwin was an amazing animal enthusiast and will be missed.
hatlat: Nice coin. Is it for Steve Irwin. The world needs him.
Dragontree: To travel around with us spreading the word of Steve Irwin. A coin with a valuable mission to help nature; where geocachers are most of the time! Having visited Steve Irwin's zoo just north of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, we could not resist buying this coin. Australia Zoo is the best zoo we have ever visited and it is constantly making people aware of our impact on nature and how to live with respect.
Morn Hyland: A beautiful coin, discovered with friends, that will make us think of what we do and what effect that has on the world around us..........
"I have no fear of losing my life - if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it" STEVE IRWIN 22/02/1962 to 04/09/2006
The world is as delicate and complicated as a spider’s web. If you touch one thread you send shudders running through all the other threads. We are not just touching the web we are tearing great holes in it....... GERALD DURRELL 07/01/1925 to 30/01/1995
htomc42: Found it in the Crocodile Hunter's CRIKEY cache today!
AAAron333: Best coin of all!
jlondon1963: Current GOAL: Travel the world from cache to cache on a mission to save and preserve our wildlife.
Moneydork: This coin commemorates a caching trip to Australia with my son and one of my caching mates, during which we visited the Australia Zoo. Crikey - those Crocodiles are amazing, as were all the other animals.