Robert and Bindi Irwin Share Heartbreaking Tributes To Steve on the Anniversary of His Death

Steve Irwin was, and still is, Australia’s national treasure.

The Aussie was best known for his hit TV show, The Crocodile Hunter, and he was a strong advocate for conservation and animal rights.

The Crocodile Hunter was famous for Steve’s unconventional approach to wildlife…

And the series aired sixty-four episodes during 5 seasons, from 1997 – 2004.

And Steve would go to great lengths, both on and off-camera, to protect Australia’s wildlife.

And this is what made the entire world love him so much.

Steve was married to Terri, an American-born author and conservationist who now resides in Queensland, Australia.

Terri starred alongside Steve in The Crocodile Hunter…

And it was easy to see that the couple were made for each other.

Bindi Irwin was born in 1998 and Robert Irwin was born in 2003 – and it has to be said, they made the cutest family.

And they were already so passionate about his work at such young ages.

Steve was filming in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for the documentary series Ocean’s Deadliest on the 4th of September, 2006 when he was stung in the chest by a wild stingray barb during a snorkeling session.

And whilst Steve believed he had only suffered a punctured lung, the stingray’s barb had actually pierced his heart, causing the conservationist to quickly lose consciousness.

“…Even if we’d been able to get him into an emergency ward at that moment we probably wouldn’t have been able to save him, because the damage to his heart was massive. As we’re motoring back I’m screaming at one of the other crew in the boat to put their hand over the wound and we’re saying to him things like, ‘Think of your kids, Steve, hang on, hang on.’ He just sort of calmly looked up at me and said, ‘I’m dying.’ And that was the last thing he said,” one of the underwater cameramen tragically recalled.

And he was pronounced dead by paramedics after the boat crew had performed CPR on him for over an hour during the journey back.

And, of course, the family that he had left behind.

But over the years, Terri has raised her children to remember their father and they have all worked together to honor Steve’s legacy by continuing to care for animals at Australia Zoo.

And the family regularly speak about Steve and the beautiful memories they made with him.

Bindi is twenty-one and Robert is sixteen, and it is amazing to see the pair pursuing careers in conservation and zoology just like their father.

And looking more and more like him as the years go on, Bindi is now a happily married woman with a baby on the way.

And even though the family is so excited, the pain remains that Steve will never get to see his kids grow up and, of course, meet his grandchildren.

But there’s no denying how much they continue to miss him every single day.

And as we can only imagine, it was a difficult day for the Irwins.

Robert paid tribute by sharing a photo from a recent research trip to The Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve, a reserve in Cape York, Australia, that “has been set aside as a tribute to the conservation work of Steve Irwin and a place for scientific research and discovery.”

“This research was all started by Dad and to this day we still use the same methods of capture that he created. Our crocodile research began 17 years ago when Australia Zoo joined forces with the University of Queensland to conduct world-leading science and lead the charge in crocodile conservation. And today we get to keep this vital work going, using state of the art solar tracking technology to learn even more about these amazing animals make sure Dad’s mission and passion for croc conservation continues!”

She simply wrote, “You’re always in my heart.”

Rest in Peace, Steve. Keep on reading to get more on Bindi and Chandler’s wedding day…