He’s remembered as one of Australia’s most popular TV presenters and animal ‘whisperers’, but to Bindi Irwin, he was primarily a loving father and mentor.
Now, more than a decade after his tragic death in 2006, the 20-year-old has continued to keep his memory alive with a moving tribute to her famous father, recalling what she has described as one of his most special and “extraordinary” moments on camera.
To mark International Orangutan Day, Bindi shared a short clip of Steve sat in a tree and cuddled up close to an orangutan and its baby, while admitting he’s “more intimidated than she is” at the surprise exchange. With his usual passionate tones, it’s a trip down memory lane for his fans who will remember his incredible bond with animals well.
Bindi wrote: “Dad had a gift with all animals, including orangutans. This video is so special with a WILD mumma orangutan and her baby. She actually climbed down the tree to sit with him. Extraordinary.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmqAoDEHo-i/?hl=en&taken-by=bindisueirwin
Fans loved the impromptu post, with one commenting: “It’s unusual to see him intimidated! He has so much respect for her, you can see it in his eyes. She’s even touching him. This is incredible.”
Another added: “Sure miss him! I loved listening to him talk and the compassion in his voice!” And one wrote: “You can tell in this he’s a little nervous, but he’s remaining calm. I love ya dad. He’s so amazing.”
The whole family regularly shares moving tributes to Steve on special occasions, and it was over to his wife Terri to lead the messages on what would have been his 56th birthday in February. In her post, she remembered her “hero” alongside a photo of him carrying a crocodile in one of his signature poses.
“Thinking of Steve today. He was so many things to so many people. He was definitely a hero. He was my hero,” she wrote alongside the post.
She then took the opportunity to share a little known fact about her late husband and TV star, revealing he had been filming a documentary near Baja, Mexico, in 2003 when he overheard on a radio that two scuba divers had gone missing there.
Halting his entire work project, she said Steve called in a search plane and his entire crew stopped filming for two days to look for them. She added: “He personally escorted the sole survivor to safety.”
The couple, who had Bindi and Robert, 14, together, ran Australia Zoo as a family business before Steve’s death. Terri has continued the work with help from her children ever since.