Robert Irwin Completes His Dad Steve’s Wildlife Mission and Gives Emotional Tribute

Robert Irwin, the son of the late Steve Irwin, recently celebrated the breeding of a rare species of turtle that was discovered by his father in 1990. By becoming one of the first to successfully breed the rare turtle, Robert had an emotional moment in the video as he reflected on what this achievement would mean to his father.

On 14th October, Robert posted a video on Instagram where he can be seen cradling a newly hatched Elseya irwini turtle at Australia Zoo, Queensland. This type of freshwater turtle is famously referred to as “Irwin’s turtle” in honor of Steve, who encountered this rare species while boating with his father, Bob Irwin.

“This is one of the highlights of my entire life, one of the most special moments ever for Australia Zoo,” Robert says in the video. “This is the very first Elseya irwini, Irwin’s turtle, ever hatched for any zoological facility anywhere in the world.” After letting the turtle into a pond, Robert continues, “For the first time, we’ve got a little baby, and he’s gonna get his first swim in a brand-new pond.”

“My dad would be stoked with that,” Robert adds. “We did it.” He further adds how important this emotional moment is for him in the caption of the video, writing, “I think Dad would be pretty proud that we’ve become the first to successfully breed the turtle that he discovered. A rare, and unique species under threat in the wild has just been given a second chance.”

Steve Irwin, who had dedicated his life to working towards educating people about wildlife conservation, left a legacy behind with his two children Robert and Bindi Irwin, who continue to share their late father’s passion for nature. Many congratulated Robert on this important milestone, with one comment saying, “Steve is looking down and crying tears of joy. His heart is proud of not only turtle, but with the fact that his legacy continued with the same path he visualized.”

Bindi Irwin also recently shared a touching tribute to her late father with a video of Steve Irwin caring for animals at the Australia Zoo.