You grew up in a zoo. Did you have to do zoo chores?
I did! You can’t get out of zoo chores. The fun zoo chores are like feeding the crocodile – that’s pretty awesome. But there are less fun zoo chores, like cleaning up rhino poo. But you learn the silver linings. Rhino and elephant droppings make incredible fertiliser for your garden. The best tomatoes in the world are elephant-poo tomatoes.
Has anyone had a worse reaction to you handling animals than Kevin Hart when you were both on Jimmy Fallon?
Honestly, no. I don’t think anyone has had as grand a reaction as Kevin Hart. That was one of the funniest nights of my entire life. I went to his dressing room afterwards and seriously, I got a pat-down before I went in. He was like, “I just want to make sure you are not bringing anything in here.” He was genuinely terrified.
He’s a really lovely bloke, very down to earth. But he does not mince his words when it comes to animals. He was afraid of a baby ostrich. It’s basically a chicken with a long neck! But I could not do what he does. I couldn’t do standup comedy. We all have our strengths. His is not animals, and that’s OK.
Tell us your favourite fact.
There are so many. Here’s one: we have the longest running research study on crocodiles in the world, and we were the first to quantifiably prove this: crocodiles can hold their breath for more than eight hours. Can you believe it? More than eight hours? Which is, I believe, the longest for any conventionally breathing animal. Also, there’s a species of turtle that can breathe through its bum.
Is there anything that scares you?
Nothing in the natural world scares me, but everything in the man-made world scares me. Where do we begin? People are so darn unpredictable. Social media scares me – it’s like a little pot of anxiety, if consumed incorrectly. What scares you?
I am scared of heights.
Oh yeah – I am afraid of heights in my dreams, but not in real life. When I dream, if I’m at a height I’ll be freaking out and wake up in a sweat. I’ve jumped out of planes! They don’t bother me when I am awake.
I’ve actually never told anyone that. It feels really good to get that off my chest.
If animals could talk, who would be the nicest?
I think the nicest, most level-headed animal you could talk to would be a tortoise. They’ve been around, they’ve seen stuff. They know what’s up. They exude this sense of knowledge and wisdom. I’ve always thought it’d be cool to have a conversation with a tortoise.
We had a tortoise that lived to be over 175 years old. Her name was Harriet. She was collected by Charles Darwin. She passed away some years ago, but I think she would be the coolest animal to talk to. I think she’d have some serious stories to tell.
What’s the best lesson you’ve learned from someone you’ve worked with?
My dad [Steve Irwin] always used to say, “You need to treat every living being the way you wish to be treated.” For him, that meant not only people but animals. Try to stand up for those who don’t have a voice, whether that is wildlife or human beings. There’s plenty of areas around the world where people don’t have the same opportunities as we do and there’s plenty of places where our environment is disappearing at a frightening rate. Dad was very passionate about giving a voice to the voiceless, and he would always say, treat everyone how you want to be treated and you’ll have a really happy life. That is the most important thing, even if someone’s bugging you. Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and respect.
What’s been your most memorable interaction with a fan?
There’s been some really interesting ones. Now everyone wants selfies but back in the day, people would ask you for an autograph. People will often ask me to sign their phone case, but one person came up and said, “Can you sign my forehead?” I replied, “I can, but should I?” Someone once got me to sign their arm and they got it tattooed, which was amazing.
I said to this person, “Please don’t tattoo my signature to your forehead.” Thank goodness they didn’t. But it was strange they wanted me to do it.
Also, this has happened to us a couple of times – I will go into a bathroom stall and someone holds out a roll of toilet paper with a pen underneath the gap between the stalls. I’m busy mate, maybe catch me later?
Which animal do you wish more people appreciated?
Crocodiles. I absolutely love them. They are such a misunderstood animal, because anything with big teeth and no fur is treated like a dinosaur. There’s a lot more to them than meets the eye. They’re one of the most charismatic animals that I work with. They are very intelligent and they have their own personalities, which I love.
I get to work with pretty much any animal that you can name, and there is no animal that makes you feel as small as a crocodile does. When a big crocodile is striking out of the water at you, you feel insignificant, in the best way. You realise, I am just one humble part of a big tapestry of life. Whoa, that got very deep!
I also have a Komodo dragon at home named Indah (Bahasa for beautiful) and she is one of the sweetest animals I’ve ever met. She is like a little puppy dog. She’ll curl up in your lap and give you a cuddle. She’s just gorgeous. It’s the maligned ones that often end up being the cutest and the most fun to be around.
What’s the oldest thing you own, and why do you still have it?
I have some traditional Maasai weaponry that my dad was given by a Maasai tribe. They are some really cool, incredibly well built spears that had been passed down. Dad had them for a long time and I now have them. A lot of the oldest stuff I have is Dad’s stuff. I’ve still got one of his watches, which I had restored. It is very important to me. I’m very sentimental with things – I think you develop that when you lose someone significant at a young age. Suddenly, Dad’s watch becomes the most important thing I own. I wouldn’t trade anything for that watch, and it doesn’t even work.
Do you have a party trick?
I can do the worm! Sometimes when I’m asked a question I’m unsure about, I’ll just do the worm. When I was at the Logies, I was asked a question about Raygun that put her in a very negative light. I was like, “I’m not gonna say anything negative about Raygun, she’s cool.” So I said, “Well, Raygun, watch out. I’m coming for you.” And I just started doing the worm down the red carpet.
Also I can play guitar. I’m not like Ken in Barbie – let me play at you! – but if it is requested, I will. Not to toot my own horn, but the song I sing really well is A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash.
The next season of I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here! starts on 19 January on Channel 10
