Crikey! Tim Mullany is WA's Steve Irwin....
TIM Mullany runs a wildlife park, loves playing with dangerous creatures and is banned from wearing khaki to his wedding by his animal-loving fiancee.

He humbly plays down comparisons to the late wildlife crusader Steve Irwin, saying no one can ever replace his childhood hero, but is continuing Irwin's legacy.

The straight-talking 22-year-old, who owns and manages Marapana Wildlife Park in Baldivis with his partner Beth Sheehan, will make a hands-on, Irwin-style documentary in WA next year.

``Steve had a natural ability to keep people interested and educate them about conservation at the same time,'' Mr Mullany said.

``Our plan is to do exactly that and get the cameras right up in the animals' faces, catching all the action. It'll be me and some mates on a road trip, all the way from Esperance to Kununurra. And we'll spend 4-6 weeks driving and filming every bit of wildlife we come across.

``I do like the dangerous animals, the crocs and venomous snakes. I think it's the element of risk and that they're misunderstood.''

In true wildlife warrior fashion, Mr Mullany isn't afraid to put his body on the line when rescuing animals from homes and has the battle scars to prove it.

``When trying to help wildlife, you have to put your body at risk,'' he said. ``I've been in hospital with stitches, broken ribs -- these things happen.''

Mr Mullany's dream came true at the age of 17 when he worked with his hero Irwin at Australia Zoo in Queensland.

``When I worked over there I got to watch him up close and see how he did it all and that's where all my inspiration comes from,'' he said.

``I did a croc jump once with him. With Steve, it was pretty much what you saw is what you got. He was like an Energiser bunny. Everything he did was full on.

``Though he was a big guy he made an effort to know everyone.

``When I started, he came up to me and started chatting away. I was only 17 at the time and I was thinking, `Oh, my goodness, I'm talking to Steve Irwin'.

``I flew over there two days after he passed away. It affected everyone so much because everyone saw him as a friend.''

And so, with Irwin-esque enthusiasm, Mr Mullany continues his idol's work at Marapana.

``The main attraction of our wildlife park is that it's all hands-on,'' he said. ``Rather than animals being behind cages, people get to pat everything -- wombats, dingoes, koalas, crocodiles.

``Steve's saying was that when people see it or touch it, then they want to help it. We're just trying to prove animals, like snakes and crocs, aren't horrible, so people might help them later on.

``Fifty per cent of people who do our tours don't want to pat a snake, but 99 per cent walk out after patting one and say it's really different than they expected. They're not slimy and horrible. They're totally misunderstood.''

Mr Mullany is planning also to build a 24-hour wildlife hospital at Marapana to support the park's rescue work.