Mother and daughter, Linda and Jennifer Kuhn make a pilgrimage to Australia Zoo to commemorate the second anniversary of Steve Irwin's death.

The Sunshine Coast Daily/Barry Leddicoat

It is two years since Croc Hunter Steve Irwin was tragically killed by a stingray in North Queensland, but the death of one of Australia's most loved icons still brings a tear to the eye of his most dedicated fans.

Jennifer Kuhn and her mum, Linda, made a special trip to the Sunshine Coast from Indiana in the United States for the second anniversary of Steve Irwin's death yesterday.

They visited Australia Zoo for the third day in a row on their holiday to pay tribute to a man who touched their lives from thousands of kilometres away.

"We don't want people to forget what he did," Jennifer said. "When he died, it was huge. We saw a lot of him in the States and I just thought he was the best.

"You could tell he was real because he was always so enthusiastic and so sincere."

She said the Zoo was "the only place to be" for Steve's anniversary.

"This is the first time we've been here and it's almost like he's still here because there are pictures of him everywhere and his spirit is here," she said.

Linda said Steve's conservation message had been spread across the world.

"When you think of snakes and crocs, you don't think of them as being cute and cuddly, but he showed they need to be saved just as much as the other animals," she said.

Some visitors to Australia Zoo yesterday also left floral tributes to Steve Irwin and many vowed to keep his dream alive by caring for and protecting wildlife.

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