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.

The line encapsulates Irwin’s public persona as a fearless wildlife advocate who treated animal rescue as a moral imperative rather than a calculated risk. By listing iconic Australian animals and addressing the audience with his trademark “mate,” he frames danger as secondary to responsibility: if an animal is in peril, action is required. The quote also reflects a conservationist ethic that values individual creatures as worthy of protection, not merely as symbols or resources. Its blunt willingness to accept personal harm underscores the intensity—and controversy—of Irwin’s approach, where courage, showmanship, and genuine care for wildlife are tightly intertwined.