Wildlife gladiator
HOLLYWOOD heavyweight Russell Crowe has thrown his support behind the effort to save a Cape York river, expressing his views on one of the highest rating talk shows in the US.
The Oscar winner, who has starred in blockbuster movies including Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man, spoke out about the plight of the Wenlock River during his appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman.
The episode was filmed in the US last Friday but aired on Australian television on Monday night.
The Wenlock River, and the surrounding area, first made headlines after it was revealed part of it was on a wildlife reserve owned by Terri Irwin, the wife of the late Steve Irwin.
Mining company Cape Alumina has permission to mine part of the land, known as Steve’s Place, leading to fears the work may adversely affect the river and its unique ecosystem.
During his 10-minute stint on The Late Show, Crowe said he had been working behind the scenes to try to save the area in memory of his Wildlife Warrior friend who died in 2006.
"That site actually operates as a water filter and there are some species of plants and animals that don’t really appear in other places, and the river the water runs into, the Wenlock River, has the largest biodiversity range of any freshwater river in the country," Crowe told Letterman.
"He’s (Irwin) not here to stand up for himself and I just feel, as his friend, that we can’t do nothing.
"It is a global irresponsibility to do that. I made an offer to the Environment Minister to have a talk about it but he hasn’t bothered to respond."
His appearance on the show drove more than 13,000 to sign the online petition "Save Steve’s Place", which already boasted 120,000 signatures.
A spokeswoman for Australia Zoo yesterday told The Cairns Post Ms Irwin and others associated with the fight were thankful for Crowe’s public support.
Cape Alumina chief executive officer Paul Messenger said while Crowe was entitled to an opinion, not all of what he said was correct.
"I think Steve Irwin had many friends and some of them are high profile people who are entitled to their opinion," he said. "But it is important to remember that we are not planning to mine the river or affect the river at all."
Share this article
Call to action: Russell Crowe is backing the fight against mining at the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve at Cape York.
New Jetstar flights between Cairns and Osaka
THE re-introduction of Jetstar's four weekly direct services to Osaka in Japan and a doubling of flights to Melbourne from April 1 next year are the first significant announcements today by the airline as the result of a new agreement with Cairns Airport.
Kate earns National Pride Medal
INSPIRING young leader and cancer survivor Kate Smith could hardly believe she won a national Pride of Australia medal last night.
Escapee back in custody
BREAKING NEWS: Police have found a man who escaped from police custody at Ravenshoe on Sunday night.
Woman watched boyfriend bash, strip tourist
THE girlfriend of a man accused of raping and attempting to rape two foreign tourists at a Cairns caravan park says she watched him bash and strip one of them then chase after her.
