Robert Irwin, 16, says his late father Steve would be in ‘a lot of distress’ over the ‘heartbreaking’ Australian bushfires – as a BILLION animals die in the disaster
Steve Irwin would be in ‘a lot of distress’ over the Australian bushfires that are ravaging the country if he were alive today, according to his son.
Robert Irwin Jr., 16, spoke about the ‘heartbreaking’ blazes this week in an interview with Access Daily alongside his mother, Terri.
It’s estimated that more than a billion animals have perished in the wildfires so far.
‘It’s heartbreaking’: Robert Irwin (left, with mother Terri Irwin) said late father Steve would be in ‘a lot of distress’ over the Australian bushfires… after a billion animals perished in the blazes
‘For us and for us as a family, our mission and our goal has always been to continue the wildlife work that dad started so many years ago,’ Robert said.
‘And if he was here today, he would be in a lot of distress about what’s going on.
‘We definitely feel like we’re doing everything we can, but it’s hard not to feel a little bit hopeless with everything that’s happening.’
So sad: ‘And if he was here today, he would be in a lot of distress about what’s going on,’ Robert said (pictured is Steve Irwin)
Family: Robert is pictured with his late father at his second birthday party at Australia Zoo
Despite the unprecedented scale of the disaster, Robert said that ‘Australians are amazing at banding together’ and will eventually ‘get through it’.
On Wednesday, Robert’s sister Bindi Irwin, 21, revealed that she wished their father was still alive so they could benefit from his ‘advice and strength’.
‘Dad spent his life working so hard to protect wildlife and wild places, especially in Australia,’ she wrote on Instagram.
‘He spent his whole life working hard to protect wildlife’: On Wednesday, Robert’s sister Bindi Irwin, 21, (pictured) took to Instagram to say that she wishes their father Steve was still alive so that they could get his ‘advice and strength’ during the bushfire crisis
‘I wish he was here right now to give advice and strength during this time of devastation with the bushfires.’
She added that she hopes she can make him ‘proud’, saying: ‘I know that his spirit lives on through our conservation work and I hope together we can make him proud.’
The bushfires are devastating the country and have killed 25 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
With millions of hectares burnt across Australia, the WWF-Australia estimates that more than a billion animals have perished in the fires.
Shocking: With millions of hectares burnt across Australia due to the bushfires, the WWF-Australia estimates that more than a billion animals have perished (pictured is an animal rescuer with an injured koala on Kangaroo Island, near Adelaide)