'Crocodile Hunter' widow settles lawsuit with debt collector

MELBOURNE, Australia - The widow of television's "Crocodile Hunter" reached a confidential settlement Wednesday with creditors who claimed the family's zoo owed them $2.3 million.

Alyssa Treasury Services, a debt recovery agency, had sued Australia Zoo — the wildlife park that was operated by Steve Irwin and his wife, Terri Irwin, in Queensland state — for money allegedly owed to trustee partners.

Victoria state County Court Judge Maree Kennedy dismissed the case Wednesday after a confidential agreement was reached out of court among Alyssa Treasury and Australia Zoo, Terri Irwin, and seven other unrelated companies.

The lawsuit, which had been due to go to trial in October, involved a complex loan deal with an offshore bank that ran into trouble with Australian tax authorities.

A spokesman for the zoo was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.

Steve Irwin built a worldwide audience and a multimillion-dollar business around his television persona as an animal lover and conservationist — and a fearless bare-knuckle crocodile wrangler.

He was killed in a stingray attack in 2006 while filming a television series.