Yeah I didn’t like the wild animal manhandling act (Vegan, I think we should just leave them alone), but I think Irwin understood how to connect with and engage an audience that would leave them thinking about the animals for the long term, not to mention knowing more about them. He was a top-tier science communicator and cared about the animals first, ultimately his form of spectacle advocacy drove tons of engagement toward naturalist / zoological / conservancy professions.