I couldn’t help but grieve when I learned that entertainer and wildlife expert Steve Irwin died. Beloved as the Croc Hunter, he left this world too soon.

Although I had known about Irwin's antics for a long time, it wasn’t until he invaded my family room every night during the past few years to the delight of my young son that I truly came to appreciate the man’s genuine exuberance and passion for animals and conservation. Sure he gave good TV, wrestling crocs, snakes and other creatures while spouting interesting facts in his booming voice. But his mission was clear: to save the world’s endangered species.

Standing in my neighbor’s home the morning of September 4, I placed my hand over my mouth in shock when he told me that the Croc Hunter had died. My son James asked me what was wrong. My first reaction was not to tell, afraid of how he would take the news. But I knelt down, looked him in the eye and told him. James didn’t quite understand that his favorite wildlife icon would never again wrestle a croc. However, he listened with intent while I explained that a stingray’s barb pierced Irwin’s heart.

At home that afternoon while building Australia Zoo in a tribute to the Croc Hunter, James held up two small gray shaped animals and said, “I have two stingrays.” He placed them on the wall to the side of the table and continued to dig in the drawer for more animals.

While just four-and-a-half years old, James also shares Irwin’s enthusiasm for wildlife. During Animal Planet’s nightly Croc Hunter shows, he screams “Crikey” and tackles one of many plastic crocodiles that we own. Other “Steve-isms” James is fond of include: “he’s a beauty” and “isn’t she gorgeous?” Whenever he sees animals on television, James gets inspired to create plastic animal herds that wind along the floor, running beneath tables and chairs from the kitchen to the family room. Chaos ensues when our dog Ruby invariably crashes through the menagerie.

I affectionately refer to James as “Jungle Jimi” because he just can’t get enough of animals. He knows the names of most creatures, even the exotic ones that we’ve never seen. He can tell you where they live and what they like to eat. Whether out in our backyard or at the park, James looks for wildlife including bears (fortunately, there are none in our suburban expanse), snakes and frogs. We explore our zoo regularly and have trekked to zoos in New York, D.C., Maryland, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Canada. Visits to the library are also animal-themed adventures. We return home after “hunting” with armloads of animal picture books and educational movies, including “Croc Hunter Diaries,” “Zoo Life with Jack Hanna” and the entire Eyewitness series, especially “Elephant.” (I think we’ve worn that video out.) Now, I know more than I ever wanted to about wildlife, habitat and conservation.

I praise Irwin, his television shows and the many other wonderful wildlife programs for kindling my son’s animal exuberance and for instilling a love and reverence for all creatures great and small. While the Croc Hunter is gone, his legacy lives on in the hopes and dreams of all children who love animals because when you love animals you’re more willing to save them. Steve Irwin has saved many. And now he’s looking after the animal angels.

Crocs rule! Peace.