After viewing his most recent TikTok video, everyone’s heart went out to Robert Irwin, and many are imploring with him to spend some time away from social media.
Robert Irwin is well-known to the public as the late Steve Irwin’s son.
And during the last ten years, Robert Irwin has worked extremely hard at the family’s Australia Zoo with his mother Terri and sister Bindi, delighting admirers of the Irwin family from all around the world.
Australia’s national treasure was and continues to be Steve Irwin.
The Australian was a passionate supporter of animal rights and wildlife and was perhaps best known for his popular television series The Crocodile Hunter.
Steve’s unusual methods of approaching wildlife made The Crocodile Hunter a huge hit.
The show broadcasted 64 episodes over the course of 5 seasons, from 1997 to 2004.
He was obviously passionate about preservation.
And Steve would go above and beyond, off-camera as well, to safeguard Australia’s wildlife.
His passion for all life forms was obvious.
And it was this that made everyone in the world adore him.
Steve tied the knot with his true love in 1992.
Terri is an author and environmentalist who was born in the United States but now calls Queensland, Australia home.
The Crocodile Hunter featured Terri and Steve in the lead roles.
And it was clear that the couple was meant to be together.
They had their first child not long after.
Bindi and Robert Irwin were born in 1998 and 2003, respectively, and they constituted the prettiest family.
Robert and Bindi had the same dedication as their father.
He began his career at such an early age.
Sadly, things started to go south in 2006…
On September 4th, when Steve was shooting in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for the documentary series Ocean’s Deadliest, he was stabbed in the chest by a wild stingray barb while snorkeling.
It was soon obvious that the sting was lethal.
Steve thought the stingray’s barb had merely perforated his lung, but it had really pierced his heart, leading the beloved Australian to rapidly pass out.
Sadly, he died to his wounds.
“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.
The cameraman gave Steve CPR for one hour until they had transported him to the primary boat.
Tragically, though, shortly after that, the paramedics declared him dead.
For everyone who knew and loved him, this news were terrible.
Of course, there was also the family he had left behind.
Terri and their kids have found it hard and heartbreaking to deal with this loss…
But as time passed by, Terri has taught her children to cherish their father’s memory, and they have all collaborated to continue the Australia Zoo’s animal care program in Steve’s name.
Years later, Robert and his sister Bindi only bring up their wonderful memories of their father.
There are a ton of them, too!
The children of Terri and Steve have grown up to be remarkable people.
It’s fantastic to see that Bindi, 23, and Robert, 18, are pursuing professions in conservation and zoology, just like their father.
In many aspects, Robert resembles his father perfectly.
Additionally, he frequently appears on American television to promote the Australia Zoo and the conservation efforts that he and his family are committed to.
Most recently, on Father’s Day, he honored his father.
“I had the best dad in the world. Thinking of him and remembering nothing but fun times,” he wrote on TikTok.
Robert compiled a lovely video of the precious moments he had spent with his father.
Adding: “I hope you all had a wonderful Father’s Day in the US – sending love to those who couldn’t celebrate with their Dad,” which pulled at our heartstrings if you ask us!
Undoubtedly, the 18-year-old is incredibly busy.
Robert likes working for conservation and animal rights, particularly for animals in Australia, just as his father did, rather than going to parties and playing video games in his free time.
But in February of this year, a video of his encounter with a crocodile went viral after it horrified many people with his lack of compassion for the reptile.
Many were stunned at Robert’s level of “cruelty.”
Robert was almost attacked while attempting to feed Casper, a crocodile at the zoo.
Casper completely ignored all the food that was being used to divert his attention away from Robert and kept trying to hit him.
This resulted in the keeper yelling “Bail, bail, bail!!!” which saw fellow keepers rush into the enclosure to help him.
Fortunately, neither Casper nor Robert suffered any injuries as a result.
Robert then posted the video to Instagram, where he captioned it: “The finale of ‘Crikey! It’s the Irwins’ is on now, 8 pm in the USA so go check it out!
“We’ve definitely saved the best for last, including one of the most intense croc feeds I’ve done!
We prioritize natural behavior with our crocs. By getting in their enclosures with them, and letting them put on those huge strikes from the water’s edge, they get to use all of their predatory instincts and they just love it!”
He concluded: “Plus we can educate everyone about their conservation. But safety for us is also crucial and you definitely have to know when to call it. And with such a powerful and quick croc like Casper, we had no choice but to bail!”
But after he shared his post, many criticized the keeper for his actions, claiming he is “using animals as entertainment.”
Robert has since addressed these comments: “Everything always gets blown up and made a huge thing,”.
“For me, it’s an adrenaline rush, it’s an exciting thing to do — but for me personally, I feel closest to my dad when I’m in there working with the animals he loved.”
Robert continued: “So many of our crocodiles are the originals, the ones we’ve worked with from day one. It’s an honor for me to continue that legacy.
“Yes they’re dangerous, but they’re amazing creatures, deserving of our respect.”
Robert, who is only 18 years old, has accumulated millions of fans on social media platforms like TikTok, and his videos have about 19 million likes.
He has also gotten a ton of compliments, all of which usually reference his father.
However, TikToker @sa99ymaggie recently imitated the typical response to one of Robert’s videos, as fans suggest it’s not always a good thing to mention his dad under every post…
The TikTok has been viewed 4.6 million times, and people took to the comment section to agree with her point…
One person commented: “Facts! Can people just let him live without mentioning his dad every second?!
While another wrote: “NO SERIOUSLY LIKE ‘hi guys I saved a snake today’, ‘omg remember when your dad tragically died and you were only a child? that sucked!’”
You can watch the video here.
What do you think?
