A rare video of wildlife warrior Steve Irwin, which he made to help an Australian cop establish himself as one of the world’s top child protection experts, has resurfaced.
Queensland police officer Jon Rouse, who retired in 2022, had been asked to speak at an INTERPOL Specialists Group forum in Lyon, France, in 2005.
To help deliver the “terrifying” speech to the large group of highly experienced officers from around the world, he asked his buddy The Crocodile Hunter, who was at the height of his fame at the time, to film a short video .
Mr. Rouse said the group didn’t know who he was and he thought a good way to set the tone for his speech would be to have someone introduce him.
“I was fortunate to know Steve Irwin and IEveryone told their manager and Steve put together a segment,” Mr Rouse told Gary Jubelin’s ‘I Catch Killers’ podcast.
Rare footage has emerged of Croc Hunter Steve Irwin, filmed as a favor to a partner
Steve and Teri Irwin achieved worldwide fame through their nature documentaries and conservation work
The clip shows Irwin, dressed in his khaki trousers, standing outside the door of the Australia Zoo and delivering lines in the same familiar, enthusiastic style he did in his television shows.
“I’m dealing with predators, big apex predators,” Irwin said.
“And those predators need my help, unlike the predators you’re dealing with that need to be exterminated.
‘As a parent, and on behalf of all parents in the world, we would like to thank you very much.
‘It is a very serious, very heavy subject that you are working on, but crikey we certainly appreciate that you do that.
“So without further ado, let me introduce you to a very good friend of mine, a handsome Aussie guy, Jon from the Queensland Police Service, who is standing in my backyard.
“Woohoo, crocs rule buddy!”
Mr Rouse said the clip was a great success as Irwin’s presence thawed the room and allowed him to network with global child protection experts after his speech.
Highly decorated police officer Jon Rouse used Irwin’s clip to help him network with child protection experts at an international forum
‘That brought me into a community where I learned a lot. It taught me about victim identification. The importance of sharing cases of violence. I learned so much from that group.
‘I went to my last meeting in March. When I retired, I was chairman of the undercover group at INTERPOL. So I went to that meeting for eighteen years.”
Mr Rouse is recognized as one of Australia’s leading authorities on child abuse prevention and was instrumental in banning child exploitation material.
He forged crucial links between the Queensland Police Service and international law enforcement agencies and was awarded the Queensland Police Medal, the Australian Police Medal and was the Queensland Australian of the Year in 2019.