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Bindi Irwin captured the world’s heart when she first appeared on The Crocodile Hunter as a little girl. Now she’s a woman on a mission – carrying on the family legacy of teaching the world how to protect the most fascinating animals on the planet.
Bindi Irwin’s Legacy – “Crocodile Hunter” and The Australia Zoo
Bindi’s love of animals isn’t surprising, considering where she grew up!
Her father was iconic animal educator Steve Irwin. In 1991, Bindi’s mother Terri, a naturalist with a passion for predatory mammals. The two spent their honeymoon on a crocodile rescue mission. Footage from this adventure would become the first episode of the beloved TV show The Crocodile Hunter.
Bindi was born in 1998, and soon developed a deep love of wildlife just like her parents. She, and her younger brother Robert, spent a lot of their time in the ever-growing Australia Zoo. The family’s mission: “Conservation Through Exciting Education.” They went to great lengths to ensure that the enclosures the animals lived in were as close as possible to their natural habitats, both for the benefit of the animals, and so visitors can see how they truly live in the wild.
The Crocodile Hunter was tremendously successful, and Steve and Terri agreed to put all the money they raised from filming and merchandizing back into conservation. They established the Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital, a world-class facility that rescues, rehabilitates, and releases over seven thousand native Australian animals every year.
While Steve tragically died in an accident while snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, Bindi, her mother, and brother are continuing his legacy of conservation. The Australia Zoo is currently over 700 acres and employs over 500 people.
“Dad will always be my superhero,” Bindi told Us Weekly exclusively in 2018. “He was just the most amazing person, and everyone knew him as the ultimate wildlife warrior, but to me, he was the best dad.”
Bindi the Jungle Girl
Bindi first appeared on TV when she was only two, alongside her father. Since then, she’s been following in his footsteps, appearing on talk shows like The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Late Show with David Letterman, and Larry King Live to talk about her father’s work and educate people about animals.
When she was nine, she got her own show, Bindi the Jungle Girl on the Discovery Kids Channel. Its goal was to help get kids more interested in wildlife conservation, like Bindi. It shows Bindi working with a variety of animals, from elephants to snakes, to show that all animals whether they’re traditionally considered cute or not, deserve respect and protection.
Music, Movies, and Dancing – The Busy Career of Bindi
Bindi also has a singing career and has released several albums. Her debut album was called Bindi Kid Fitness with Steve Irwin and the Crocmen. Her first single was called Trouble in the Jungle. In 2009, Bindi starting releasing albums as a band called Bindi and the Jungle Girls, like her TV show.
In 2010, Bindi made the leap from TV to film, and starred in Free Willy: Escape from Pirate’s Cove.
In 2015 Bindi got special permission from a California judge to compete as a minor on Dancing with the Stars. She and salsa pro, Derek Hough, became the season 21 champions.
“I never knew I would learn so much about rhinestones and glitter and high heels, Bindi, who is most recognizable in khakis joked about her victory, “The most special part of this experience is to really be able to grow and touch on parts of my life that I never thought I would really go to and be able to share my journey and story with so many others.”
As if that wasn’t enough, Bindi is even a Barbie doll. To mark International Women’s Day in 2018, Mattel chose fifteen real inspirational women to create likenesses of in Barbie doll form – including Bindi Irwin.
“Crikey! It’s the Irwins”
Bindi, her mother Terri, and her brother Robert are carrying on the family legacy together by educating people about animals on TV. Since 2018, the family has given viewers a look inside the Australia Zoo on their show Crikey! It’s the Irwins.
“We’re able to reflect on the amazing times we had together and now moving forward — continuing on [in my dad’s] footsteps,” Bindi said, “We want to make him proud every single day.”
Sources: Australia Zoo, Good Housekeeping, MSN, US Weekly, NWI, Quartz, US Weekly