BEERWAH Queensland—A safari park and hotel will be built at the Irwin family's Australia Zoo to turn it into an international tourist mecca comparable to Disneyland, Terri Irwin says.
The widow of the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin unveiled the plans today at a VIP breakfast at the zoo on Queensland's Sunshine Coast honouring anti-whaling activist and Sea Shepherd leader Paul Watson.
She also took the opportunity to dismiss rumours she planned to sell the zoo, saying it would be Irwin-owned well into the future.
"(We) want to be 'Destination Australia' - kind of like that Disney feel where a lot of Australians go and see Disneyland and then (ask) what else is there to do?," Ms Irwin said.
"So it will be so exciting for people to come here and be able to see the wildlife, spend the night, stay as long as they want, have the spa treatments and the guided tours and the experience and then to be able to lash out and see the rest of Australia."
She said she hoped plans would be complete in three to five years and would signal to rumour-mongers that she was committed to the zoo and its goals.
"Today's been very emotional and very special and do not make any mistake about it, the beat goes on," she said.
"Australia Zoo is Irwin family owned and always will be."
She also denied there was a rift in the family behind Steve's father Bob Irwin's announcement earlier this month he will end his role with Australia Zoo after 36 years.
Ms Irwin said her father-in-law was of retirement age and she and the zoo would continue to support him in his individual conservation work.
"I just can assure everyone that I love Bob dearly ... he's gone through so much grief losing his wife and his only son that I will respectfully just leave it at that," she said.
Meanwhile, Mr Watson threw his support behind the zoo and its conservation work after accepting the title of "Wildlife Warrior" for his recent work protecting whales from Japanese whaling vessel the Nisshin Maru.
Mr Watson also took a swipe at his critics who were "talking about what to do to save whales (while) we're down there saving whales".
During the summer campaign two Steve Irwin crew members who boarded the Nisshin Maru to deliver a protest letter were temporarily detained.
The Japanese also protested about the activists hurling rancid butter aboard whaling ships while there were allegations from Captain Watson that whalers shot at him.
"It was an extremely successful campaign, the Japanese have admitted they're not even going to get half their quota," Mr Watson said.
"... If you find a whale that criticises or is upset about what we do, we'll pay attention."
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