Bindi Irwin has gone to great efforts to bring her late dad Steve Irwin's dreams to life, nearly 17 years after The Crocodile Hunter star was tragically killed by a stingray. It had been Steve's big dream to open conservation luxury accommodation which Australia Zoo achieved last year - much to the delight of his daughter Bindi.
Now the proud conservationist, 24, has lifted the lid on the next big milestone for Australia Zoo. Bindi shared her excitement over the famous zoo's plans to continue to expand the plush accommodation in her dad's honour. In a recent interview to mark World Earth Day, she told HELLO!: "At Australia Zoo, I'm excited for The Crocodile Hunter Lodge to continue to expand with even more accommodation options. Dad's big dream for the future was to create conservation luxury accommodation like no other for our guests. We opened the lodge and Warrior Restaurant last year which felt like such a win. With his dream accomplished, I'm excited for the addition of more cabin options including three-bedroom cabins."
Throughout her life, Bindi has devoted herself to carrying out her late dad's mission to speak up for animals everywhere. She added: "We work hard to ensure Dad’s mission continues to grow, just like he wanted us to do. He always used to say, "I don't care if people remember me, I want everyone to remember my mission". Through our work both at Australia Zoo and Wildlife Warriors, conservation through exciting education is our ethos." In addition to her dad's mission, she has some environmental goals of her own she would like to achieve. She said: "I would also love for Australia Zoo to be home to an outstanding platypus sanctuary. Platypus are some of my very favourite animals and they're having a hard time in the wild due to human impact."
The zoo's team has treated more than 120,000 patients at the wildlife hospital and it supports many projects including whale shark research alongside Ecocean, learning about this enormous and secretive species. Among their projects, they also fund the largest crocodile research program in the world alongside The University of Queensland, using state-of-the-art acoustic and satellite trackers.
Bindi added: "We feel lucky to have such a large family of animals. Australia Zoo is like a resort for wildlife and we strive to create remarkable habitats for our animal family. I think the most important aspect of working with wildlife is always keeping the awe in your heart for every species. If you've spent five minutes or five years with an animal, it's vital to never lose that genuine love, respect and appreciation for them. It is such a privilege to work with wildlife, especially as closely as we all do at Australia Zoo. They're part of our family and it's an honour to share them with our guests to instil a greater understanding for all species."
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