KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasCrocodile Hunter Wants to Wrestle Las Vegas
(Jan. 21) -- The man known for wrestling crocodiles wants to wrestle Las Vegas audiences next year. The crocodile hunter, Steve Irwin, announced details of his plan to open an Australian zoo on the Las Vegas Strip.
It's an ambitious plan to open a zoo and show in about 18 months. Irwin will spend about $40 million to build the project in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip. It will not be connected to any casino.
He's arguably the most famous face associated with crocodiles. Steve Irwin spent his life educating others about the dangerous animal. Now he wants to share that knowledge on a Las Vegas Strip stage with audiences.
In eighteen months Irwin says he will have an Australian zoo up and running. The crocodile hunter will perform three shows a day for three months out of the year.
Tourist Stephanie Hamelin says she'd go. "He's a little off, but I think that is what makes him entertaining for everybody."
Irwin's antics do not appeal to Brad Logue. He said it's not a show that would appeal to him. Logue says that he cannot buy a ticket for a show featuring someone like Irwin. "He's got to be nuts to do all the stuff he does."
Nuts or not Irwin is already a multi-millionaire.
The project may not be as grand as his persona. Investing $40 million in a zoo on the Las Vegas Strip doesn't go as far as it used to. In comparison Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden cost about $12 million to build in 1990. Today it would cost more than $60 million.
The size of the project would not determine its success. If audiences show, it will work.
When asked if he would go see the Irwin's show, Las Vegas resident Joe Greiner said, "I definitely would take my child, or advise anyone to take their children because it's awesome."
And tourist Tim McCallum commented, "It's something that I watch on TV all the time. I definitely would."
McCallum represents the younger generation who knows Steve Irwin. Combine that with older audiences interested in the educational aspect of crocodiles, and a potential Australian zoo could flourish on the Las Vegas Strip.
One hurdle to Irwin's time frame will be the building process. Clark County has not had any paperwork on the zoo.
The Las Vegas Strip is not zoned for a zoo, so a special use permit is needed. No permit application has been filed.
Steve Irwin says the major attraction of the zoo will be saltwater crocodiles flown into the United States.
