'Your legacy lives on': Bindi Irwin pays heartfelt tribute to father Steve Irwin on his 61st birthday
QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA: Bindi Irwin remembered her beloved father Steve Irwin as she paid a moving tribute to the famous Crocodile Hunter on what would have been his 61st birthday. The ‘Croc Files’ star tragically died on September 4, 2006, at the age of 44 after being pierced in the chest by a stingray while filming a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef.
The 24-year-old ‘Crikey! It's the Irwins’ star took to her Instagram on Wednesday, February 22, to share a rarely-seen photo of the pair, with a piece of advice Steve passed down to her during their time together. The adorable throwback picture captured little Bindi and Steve looking at a reptile in the dark. “Happy Birthday, Dad” she began. “Thank you for instilling a love for all species, courage to follow my heart, and determination to make a difference in the world for wildlife and wild places.”
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'The world is forever changed'
Bindi concluded by saying that his legacy lives on through his family and the work and awareness raised by Australia Zoo. "Your legacy lives on and the world is forever changed because of your dedication to conservation. Mum, Robert, and I love and miss you so much." She added. Bindi’s brother and Steve’s second child, Robert, also celebrated his birthday by sharing a heartwarming post on his Instagram feed.
"Happy birthday, Dad ❤,” he wrote while sharing a picture of Steve holding him as a newborn while Bindi looks on. He shared another adorable picture on his Instagram story where little Robert was seen gazing into the lens while his father held him and gave him the thumbs-up. The official Australia Zoo account got in on the birthday love as well, writing, "Happy birthday to the original Wildlife Warrior🐊 Countless wildlife, wild places, and people thank you for your message of love🤎."
'Steve's dream'
This moving tribute came as Bindi promoted new luxury lodgings at Australia Zoo earlier this week, calling it 'Steve's dream'. "I remember being a little girl and sitting at our big meeting table while my mum [Terri] and dad planned for the future with the Australia Zoo team," Bindi wrote on Instagram "Dad's big dream for the future was to create luxury accommodation like no other for our guests. With his dream accomplished and continuing to expand, I hope he'd be proud of the love and passion we've all poured into this project."
In August 2022, Bindi showed her daughter Grace’s special connection with her grandfather as she shared a short clip of Grace recognizing Steve in a picture posted inside the zoo. "Do you see him? Is he over here?" Bindi asked her daughter in the clip. Grace immediately responded by running up to a poster featuring her late grandpa, which is hung in a construction zone at Australia Zoo. Bindi praised, "Good girl," before asking her to wave to his photo.
