Even though Steve Irwin died in 2006, his family is carrying on his legacy of rescuing and conserving wildlife.
His daughter, Bindi Irwin, and the rest of the Irwin family have saved and treated over 90,000 animals, some of which have been injured in Australia’s intense wildfires. Bindi’s brother, Robert, took to Instagram to share an image of Ollie, an orphaned platypus, who was patient number 90,000 at the Wildlife Hospital.
Bindi shared a picture of herself posing in front of a photo of her father and grandmother both holding a crocodile. "With so many devastating fires within Australia, my heart breaks for the people and wildlife who have lost so much," the caption read.
The 21-year-old verified that the Australia Zoo—which is owned and operated by the Irwin family—as well as their conservation properties are not in the path of the wildfires. The zoo’s Wildlife Hospital has been “busier than ever,” according to Bindi.
“My parents dedicated our Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital to my beautiful grandmother. We will continue to honour her by being Wildlife Warriors and saving as many lives as we can,” Bindi wrote.
It is thought that almost a third of koalas in Australia’s New South Wales region have been killed in the fires, which have been burning at an alarming rate. According to CNN, three fires combined on Saturday to form a single blaze larger than Manhattan. Australian firefighters struggled with the fires in what’s said to be the most disastrous day yet of the bushfire season.
At least 24 people have died in the wildfires. Just in the state of New South Wales, over 1,300 houses have been devastated. Known as the “Crocodile Hunter,” Steve Irwin died in 2006 after being stung by a stingray in a marine accident on Australia’s north coast.
