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Wesley Gene Mannion (born September 1970) is an Australian television personality, best known from the series The Crocodile Hunter as Steve Irwin's best friend and the former director of Australia Zoo.
In 1976, Mannion and his family returned to Australia and eventually, in 1985, settled on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. His passion for reptiles continued throughout his childhood years and at age 14, Mannion made his first visit to the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park, now known as Australia Zoo.
Mannion and Steve Irwin met in the mid-1980s when Mannion and his parents visited Australia Zoo. He soon became close to the Irwin family and was looked upon as a younger brother. Mannion volunteered at the zoo for a number of months and was later offered a paid keeping position. He and Irwin worked alongside each other at the zoo learning about reptile and animal husbandry and eventually moved on to capturing and relocating wild crocodiles.
During Irwin's growing success with The Crocodile Hunter show, Mannion would often star in the show as Steve's right hand and co-host, in the event that Irwin's wife Terri Irwin was unable to be there. When not co-hosting, he was usually behind the scenes keeping the camera crew safe from animals and ensuring their safety.
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