Bindi Irwin is celebrating her late father Steve Irwin’s legacy on what would have been his 60th birthday.
On Monday night, Irwin, 23, posted a sweet throwback photo of the duo as Steve dangles a snake in front of them while Bindi holds a tiny flashlight.
“Happy Birthday to the greatest dad and Wildlife Warrior,” she captioned the picture. “Today I’ll watch ‘The Crocodile Hunter’ with Grace Warrior and share stories about her incredible Grandpa Crocodile. I love you with all my heart. Your legacy lives on.”
The post comes one month after Irwin debuted her latest tattoo on her forearm that read “Graceful warrior,” a homage to her 9-month-old daughter, Grace Warrior, as well has her father.
“The words I spoke to our daughter as I held her for the first time in my arms were, ‘My graceful warrior’. That’s how her name was born,” she explained at the time. “This is my dad’s handwriting to keep him with me, always. Our dear alligator, Daisy, is next to these words to represent our conservation work as Wildlife Warriors. And my beautiful wedding ring in bloom.”
“Validation every day of the three most important things in my life: family, purpose and unconditional love,” she concluded. “Since Grace’s breastfeeding journey ended, now felt like the perfect time for this empowering artwork.”
Irwin’s Birthday post received an overwhelming amount of love from fans and admirers around the world.
“His legacy will always live on through you and your beautiful family’s amazing work,” one commenter wrote, while another added, “Yes it does. It lives on through you, your mom, your brother, and your daughter. You are so inspiring to me and everyone. Thank you for sharing stories with us.”
“Your dad is still such a huge light in so many people lives,” a fan added. “He will live on forever.”
Meanwhile, Bindi’s brother Robert posted a tribute of his own.
“Happy birthday Dad,” Robert, who is also a nature photographer, wrote alongside an image of him riding a motorcycle with Steve as a toddler. “I love you and I miss you more every single day.”
“My earliest memories are my fondest, thanks to you,” he continued. “Hanging on tight to the handlebars of the motorbike, when you’d take Bindi and I on your morning lap of the zoo – before going to get ice cream for breakfast. Every minute spent with you was a blessing. I’m gonna ride that lap on your old motorbike this afternoon.”
Steve Irwin died in 2006 after a tragic encounter with a stingray when Bindi was only 8 years old.
Since his death, the family has taken over his legacy as a conservationist and, more specifically, running the Australia Zoo and the charity he began in 2002, Wildlife Warriors, which raises funds for several wildlife initiatives.
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