Steve Irwin was once bitten by a snake on an Australian television show, but instead of panicking he asked for the camera to get a close-up of the creature as it sunk its teeth into him.
The presenter, who went on to achieve worldwide fame before his death in 2006, was explaining to viewers that the python was harmless when the creature bit him.
Irwin, who would have been 57 today, developed an interest in animals from a young age.
His parents founded the Beerwah Reptile and Fauna Park, now known as the Australia Zoo, in 1970.
He met his wife Terri Raines there, and the couple spent their honeymoon filming what would become the first episode of the documentary series, The Crocodile Hunter, which made his name.
Irwin died in 2006 after being stabbed in the chest by a stingray’s barb, as he filmed underwater.
Irwin’s wife and children Bindi, 20, and Robert 15, now host their own show called Crikey! It’s The Irwins.
On his birthday Bindi posted a picture on social media of her father holding her when she was a baby. It was captioned: “Thank you for always being my guiding light.”
