Robert Irwin chokes up as he completes dad Steve’s wildlife mission – “Dad would be pretty proud”

When it comes to being universally loved and respected there are few families who can compare to the Irwins.

Steve Irwin and his wife Terri became icons via their conservation work and efforts to improve the lives of the animals we share this planet with, and it’s nothing short of delightful to see the couple’s children, Robert and Bindi, following suit.

Indeed, though it’s been over 17 years since Steve passed away, his legacy lives on and he remains an extremely popular figure worldwide.

Which is why people will be very pleased to hear about Robert Irwin’s most recent accomplishment, which ties in nicely with the work his late father endeavored to do…

In a way it doesn’t seem all that long ago that Steve Irwin was regularly gracing our TV screens, presenting animal documentaries in that excited, infectiously charming manner he had.

It’s difficult to believe it’s been so long since the Australian’s untimely death, but though he’s still missed by the masses, his great work and bold mission has been carried on by his two children, Robert and Bindi.

The pair are both conservationists, while Robert is also a zookeeper at Steve’s famous Australia Zoo.

Robert regularly provides fans with updates from the zoo, and his latest offering has given plenty of people reason to smile. If not for the wholesomeness of its nature, then for the direct link it creates between Robert and Steve.

On Saturday Robert, 19, celebrated a milestone achievement at the Australia Zoo, uploading a video captioned:

“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.”

In the video itself, Robert can be seen holding a baby Elseya Irwini turtle, a species named after Steve Irwin after he discovered them in the 1990s.

Robert tells the camera: “This is one of the highlights of my entire life and one of the most special moments ever for Australia Zoo. This is the very first Elseya Irwini turtle ever hatched for any zoological facility anywhere in the world.” 

Later on in the video, Robert grew emotional, stating: “I don’t get emotional as much. Dad would be stoked with that. We did it.” 

Watch Robert’s video here: