View this post on Instagram[1]
Robert Irwin celebrated his 17th birthday by making all of his social media followers tear up! He paid tribute to his late father, Steve, by sharing an emotional video montage [3] on Instagram. He spotlighted some of his father's brightest parenting moments from the past, but Robert is also looking forward to the year ahead.
"Our lovely Australia Zoo crew made this beautiful video to celebrate my birthday, and it means the world to me ❤️ I am beyond honoured to continue my dad's legacy and I hope more than anything that he would be proud," Robert captioned the heartfelt video. "I want to thank you for all of your lovely birthday messages and thanks to all who joined us for the celebrations at Australia Zoo today. Looking forward to seeing what this next year brings, in the last year of my childhood!"
The touching video, which includes footage from when Robert was born, illustrates how excited Steve was at the time to welcome his son into the world. "We're just stoked," Steve said. "And at that moment, at that very moment, I saw the light." Along with seeing a slew of sob-inducing father-son moments, we also learn what Steve's hopes were for his kids.
"This little bloke's gonna have to catch the crocs with Bindi [5]!" said Steve in the emotional voiceover. "When they're ready to run up our mission, I will gladly step aside. Then and only then will I know that I have achieved my ultimate goal. My job will be done, and I guarantee you it will be the proudest moment of my life."
Between Robert's work as a wildlife photographer, his Robert's Real Life Adventures TV show — which focuses on his family's zoo! — and Bindi's role as the the zoo operator, we think it's safe to say Robert and Bindi have certainly made their father proud.