Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin’s dad sinks boot into US influencer, says he’s a 'goose'

Steve Irwin’s father has slammed an American influencer’s “disgusting” treatment of crocodiles, rejecting comparisons with his famous son.

Bob Irwin has joined calls for Mike Holston - known online as “The Real Tarzann” - to be deported after his illegal wildlife interactions in far north Queensland, calling him a dickhead.

Mr Holston has come under fire for recently posting videos to his millions of followers showing him catching and wrestling freshwater and saltwater crocs in Cape York.

The Crocodile Hunter’s dad called for authorities to “throw the book” at him, saying his son should not be blamed for what he believed was a concerning rise in illegal wildlife content in Australia.

“This isn’t a Steve Irwin issue. This is about an individual illegally interfering with protected fauna,” Mr Irwin said in a statement.

“When people compare the behaviour of blokes like Mike Holston to what Steve did, or claim they were influenced by him, it really gets under my skin.

“You can’t even put them in the same sentence. Everything Steve did ... was to respect wildlife.”

His son also had appropriate permits to carry out his work - unlike influencers such as Mr Holston who Mr Irwin said had “no clue” of what he was doing.

“The crocodile is clearly under extreme stress - it’s disgusting,” he said of one of Mr Holston’s posts.

Mr Irwin helped set up Queensland’s Australia Zoo. where his son developed a passion for wildlife, becoming the world-famous Crocodile Hunter before the conservationist’s tragic 2006 death.

Steve Irwin was a livewire on-air, but his work had a purpose, his father said.

“He dedicated his entire life to conservation, wildlife research and education - what people saw on their TV screens didn’t show the half of it,” he said.

Bob Irwin’s advocacy led to the Queensland government in 2024 increasing penalties for reckless behaviour with crocodiles.

However, Mr Irwin said it stopped short of introducing a social media offence for people who “post and boast” unlawful wildlife interactions.

He believes there has been a rise in reckless behaviour with wildlife by influencers, citing a 2023 incident in which a chicken was fed to a crocodile in north Queensland.

American Sam Jones also copped criticism in March after footage showed her removing a baby wombat from its mother.

Mr Holston’s posts have now caught the Queensland government’s attention, with Premier David Crisafulli calling him a “goose”.

The Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation Department are “actively investigating” the influencer.

The maximum penalty for interfering with a saltwater crocodile is $37,500, and $27,539 with a “freshie”.

Mr Irwin believed Mr Holston should be “booted out the door”, saying the American proved the real problem wasn’t crocodiles - it was people who ignored the law.

“When we first started discussing the reckless stunts with crocodiles increasing on the internet, we joked the new policies should be called ‘the dickhead legislation’,” he said.

“And that’s because that’s exactly what content creators like the Real Tarzann are in my books - dickheads.”