Bindi Irwin remembers dad Steve 20 years after his death

Australian conservationist Bindi Irwin has paid an emotional tribute to her father, Steve Irwin, marking 20 years since the death of the much-loved “Crocodile Hunter”.

Steve died on 4 September 2006, aged 44, after a stingray fatally pierced his chest while he was underwater filming a documentary at the Great Barrier Reef.

Bindi was just eight years old when her father died.

Now, on the 20th anniversary of his death, she has reflected on the past two decades and the lasting impact he has had on her family and generations of wildlife lovers.

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A post shared by Bindi Irwin (@bindisueirwin)

‘His legacy is love’

“I always thought that my dad’s legacy is wildlife conservation; it turns out, his legacy is love. For our planet and for each other,” Bindi, 28, wrote on Instagram.

Describing Steve as a “superhero”, she also opened up about the grief her family continues to carry two decades later.

“My mum lost the love of her life; my brother and I lost the greatest dad,” she wrote. “Grief never truly leaves us; we walk alongside it every day.”

Steve Irwin’s granddaughter watches his documentaries

Bindi now has a five-year-old daughter, and Steve’s legacy has reached a generation of the family he never had the opportunity to meet.

“I have a 5-year-old daughter who watches his documentaries every morning. She feels utterly loved by her ‘grandpa crocodile’ without ever having met him.”

The Irwin family has continued Steve’s conservation work through Australia Zoo in Queensland, ensuring his passion for wildlife lives on.

“My dad left a lasting impact so poignant that it will ripple out for generations to come,” Bindi wrote, adding that his life and legacy were “worth celebrating”.

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A post shared by Bindi Irwin (@bindisueirwin)

Terri and Robert Irwin remember Steve

Steve’s wife, Terri, also remembered him by sharing an interview in which he spoke about the birth of Bindi.

“The most incredible wildlife encounter of my life was the birth of my daughter, Bindi,” Steve said.

Robert Irwin also paid tribute, sharing a photograph of his father holding him as a baby alongside a simple caption.

“Your legacy is forever”.

Twenty years after his death, Steve’s conservation work and the love his family continues to share for him remain at the heart of the legacy Bindi says is worth celebrating.

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