Wes Mannion

Infobox Celebrity
name = Wes Mannion


caption =
birth_date = 1970
birth_place = Australia
death_date =
death_place =
occupation = Director of Australia Zoo, Reptile Expert
spouse = Jodie Chapman Mannion (since 2004)
children = 1 (son) Riley
website =
footnotes =

Wes Mannion (born September 1970) is best known from the series "The Crocodile Hunter" as Steve Irwin's best friend. Wes and Steve Irwin met in the mid 1980s when Wes and his father came to the reptile park (now the Australia Zoo) for a visit. Wes soon became close to the Irwin family and he was looked upon as a little brother. Wes and Steve would spend every minute they had feeding the crocodiles at the zoo, or catching them in the wild. During Steve's growing success with "The Crocodile Hunter" show, Wes would often star in the show as Steve's right hand, if Terri wasn't able to be there, he was also behind the cameras keeping any curious animals away from the crew.

Wes has worked as senior staff at Australia Zoo for several years, and since Steve Irwin's tragic death on September 4, 2006, Wes has acted as chief of Australia Zoo.

Wes's interest in reptiles began in the dense jungles surrounding his family's home in Malaysia, where his father was stationed as a member of the Royal Australian Air Force. His back yard was the perfect spot to study and explore the rainforest, which was teeming with snakes, lizards and spiders.

In 1976, Wes and his family returned to Australia and eventually, in 1985, settled on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Wes's passion for reptiles continued throughout his childhood years and at age 15, he made his first visit to the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park (now known as Australia Zoo).

Wes started full time at the Australia Zoo in 1988, working alongside Steve and gaining intimate knowledge of the care and management of wildlife, while pulling his mate out of some serious scrapes. By 1992, Wes was promoted to head reptile keeper and curator. Realizing the need to gain overseas experience, he temporarily left the zoo on a quest to gain important knowledge from other world-class zoological and veterinary facilities. Upon returning to Australia Zoo in 1995, Wes took up the position of manager.

Now a zoo director overseeing some 600 people, Wes is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable reptile experts in Australia.

In 2001, Wes was involved in a serious incident in which a captive crocodile named Graham bit him on the thigh. Steve, acting on instinct, immediately tackled Graham, allowing his friend to escape and saving his life.Fact|date=February 2007

ee also

*Steve Irwin
*Australia Zoo

External links

*imdb name|id=1474063|name=Wes Mannion
* [http://de.geocities.com/croco_hunter/wes.htm http://de.geocities.com/croco_hunter/wes.htm]
* [http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/crocdiaries/crew/wes.html Animal Planet]
* [http://www.freewebs.com/wesmannion/ http://www.freewebs.com/wesmannion/]