AUSTRALIA:IN A move that has stunned many Australians, Bob Irwin, father of the late wildlife broadcaster Steve, has resigned from Australia Zoo, the tourist attraction on Queensland's Sunshine Coast that he started from humble beginnings and passed on to his son.
Pointedly, he made no reference in his farewell statement to his daughter-in-law, Terri, who is raising his grandchildren, Bindi and Bob. The family rift is said to have occurred because Mr Irwin is unhappy with the way Terri (43), an American-born conservationist, is commercialising the family's animal empire.
The feud was first revealed in women's magazine New Idea, which claimed Mr Irwin was unhappy with the way the zoo was being run. It was also claimed staff were upset he had been banned from the zoo after an argument with his daughter-in-law.
The report was denied by all sides but, last week, stories emerged of another clash over a koala rehabilitation centre at Ironbark Station, where Mr Irwin was said to be facing a battle to remain in his home.
"There are people at the zoo who think that Steve's commitment to animal research and conservation isn't being maintained," one zoo volunteer said, adding tensions there were "at boiling point".
In a statement yesterday to Australia's Sunday Telegraph, Mr Irwin said it had been a "difficult decision" to leave the zoo he had helped to build over 36 years. Paying tribute to his son, who died when the barb from a stingray pierced his heart during the filming of a documentary in 2006, he said he would "continue Steve's dream" at a 242-acre property he had bought in another part of Queensland.
"You may rest assured that Judy [ his partner] and I will continue Steve's dream, with the passion and commitment he would expect," he said. - (Guardian service)