Bindi Irwin shares heartfelt tribute to dad Steve on 18th anniversary of his death

Bindi Irwin has paid tribute to the late Crocodile Hunter on the 18th anniversary of his death.

Steve Irwin, 44, died while filming the documentary Ocean’s Deadliest at the Great Barrier Reef on September 4, 2006. He was pierced in the chest by a stingray barb.

On Thursday, Bindi, 26, shared a picture of her dad wrangling a giant crocodile on Instagram.

She captioned the picture: “It is an honour to help continue the work you started. Your legacy lives on in our family, our team, Australia Zoo, Wildlife Warriors and The Crocodile Hunter Lodge. Hope to make you proud.”

Her brother Robert, 20, later re-shared the post.

Steve Irwin’s sudden death sent shockwaves around the globe.

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Bindi, who was just eight at the time, delivered a heart-wrenching eulogy for her father in front of 5,000 fans and 300 million television viewers.

“I have the best daddy in the whole world and I will miss him every day,” the little girl dressed in the iconic khaki said. “When I see a crocodile I will always think of him and I know that daddy made this zoo so everyone could come and learn to love all the animals.

“I don’t want daddy’s passion to ever end – I want to help endangered wildlife just like he did.”

Bindi and Robert have both followed in their father’s footsteps, with conservation and television work.

Bindi appeared on Dancing with the Stars in 2015 and took home the mirror ball trophy.

In 2020, she married American professional wakeboarder Chandler Powell. The couple welcomed their first child, Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, in 2021 and paid tribute to Steve with her middle names.

Robert has also been making a name for himself, including hosting I’m A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here! and taking to the catwalk at Melbourne Fashion Festival earlier this year.

He even became the face of a Queensland tourism campaign aimed at luring international visitors to the Sunshine State.

With Bindi and Robert having more than 11 million Instagram followers between them and meeting with world leaders including King Charles to discuss the protection of natural habitat, it seems the public just can’t get enough of the wildlife warriors.

- Written by news.com.au and republished here with permission via the NZ Herald