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Steve Irwin is one of the most widely beloved television personalities of all time, and the man known as “The Crocodile Hunter” was an incredible ambassador for the animals he studied and cared for prior to his tragic death in 2006. His legacy lives on thanks in no small part to his family, and his son Robert recently shared an amazing update concerning a species of turtle his dad was responsible for discovering.
The Irwin family used some of the money they earned from The Crocodile Hunter and other projects to operate Australia Zoo in the state of Queensland, and Robert continues to be heavily involved in day-to-day operations alongside his older sister Bindi and their mother Terri.
Robert was born three years before his father passed away following an encounter with a stingray while filming a documentary in the Great Barrier Reef, and he’s not only grown up to become a spitting image of Steve but one who possesses the same type of electric enthusiasm for the wildlife he cares for.
Both of Irwin’s kids were still a twinkle in his eye when their father was fishing for crocodiles in Australia with his dad in 1990 when they stumbled across a previously undiscovered species of freshwater turtle that is now officially known as “Irwin’s turtle” (Elseya irwini).
Earlier this year, the folks at Australia Zoo headed back to the river where the turtle was found to capture the animals it planned to use to breed them in captivity for the very first time.
After bringing them back to the facility they constructed specifically for the breeding program, the zookeepers discovered the three females in their possession collectively had dozens of eggs they were hoping to harness to help propagate the species.
They were successful in that quest, as Robert Irwin recently posted a heartwarming video where he showed off the baby turtle that will now be raised at the zoo, describing the development as “one of the highlights of my entire life” before letting the animal take its first swim in the pool it was released into.
@robertirwin Wow. This was a special moment. I think Dad would be pretty proud that we’ve become the first to successfully breed the turtle that he discovered. A rare, and unique species under threat in the wild has just been given a second chance.
It doesn’t get much cooler than that.