Robert Irwin gets emotional as he shares a life-changing announcement
- Replies 9
We all know the conservationist Robert Irwin, son of the late Steve Irwin, and his tireless work at Australia Zoo, but this particular achievement takes the cake.
Robert and the team at Australia Zoo, where the late Steve Irwin had worked to save and protect numerous wildlife species, made a moving announcement on social media that left the young man in tears.
According to Robert, their team had just achieved their mission to successfully breed a unique species of freshwater turtles—with the first of 12 eggs hatching.
It was Steve who first discovered this new species, which he named Elseya Irwini, in 1990 while exploring rivers in Far North Queensland.
This turtle, native to Australia, is now among the endangered species.
In the very special video, Robert held a tiny turtle in his hands before carefully dropping it into a pond in the Zoo.
‘This is one of the highlights of my entire life and one of the most special moments ever for Australia Zoo,’ Robert told the camera.
‘This is the very first Elseya Irwini Irwin’s turtle ever hatched for any zoological facility anywhere in the world.’
‘This species is a turtle that my dad originally discovered out in the wild, and for the first time, we’ve got a little baby, and right now, he’s going to get his first swim in a brand new pond.’
‘This is a little slice of the wild. Let's get him in the water.’
‘It’s just so surreal and all the stories from Dad about just how amazing and beautiful they are.’
A teary-eyed Robert, overwhelmed, confessed he rarely becomes emotional. As a staff member mentioned his father's pride, the 19-year-old Irwin observed the turtle in the water with a nod.
‘My dad would be stoked with that. We did it,’ Robert said.
Captioning the sweet video, the wildlife warrior wrote, ‘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.’
Robert's girlfriend, Rorie Buckey, was one of the first to express excitement about the announcement, commenting, ‘So cool,’ with a heart emoji.
Fans of the family and their work also expressed their joy at the announcement.
‘I’m not crying, you’re crying,’ One wrote.
One fan suggested, ‘Name him Steve.’
‘Keep going, man. You’re on a great way to fill out your dad’s footsteps,’ added another.
‘Steve is looking down and crying tears of joy. His heart is proud of not only turtle, but with the fact that his legacy continued with the same path he visualised,’ someone else responded.
‘That is an incredible achievement legend. You are rightly proud. I’m sure your Dad had a hand in that miraculous conception,’ another commenter wrote.
‘It really is incredibly special. You can imagine the personal meaning that this has, but also for the conversation of this species, it’s incredibly important,’ he said.
Not only did Robert’s post on social media receive an outpouring of love from his fans, but the story was also picked up by Australian news sources and made headlines.
As Robert Irwin captioned, a rare and unique species under threat in the wild has now been granted a second chance. Video source: Instagram (@robertirwinphotography)
On a Monday episode of the Sunrise show, Robert showcased an adult Irwin’s turtle, celebrating the ‘indescribable’ achievement.
Irwin held a fully grown female Irwin's turtle, describing the species as ‘beautiful animals’.
‘Dad spent so much time in the wild with them on the Burdekin River to prove that this is a new species and prove their conservation significance.
‘It’s been a big dream to have them at Australia Zoo and a very far-flung dream to maybe one day breed them, and we’ve been successful.’
‘This secures the future of Dad’s turtle.’
‘Legacy is everything to us, and this really is living proof that Dad’s message and his legacy are still alive and ongoing.’
Members, are you as excited as we are about this news? What name do you think fits perfectly for the first of the 12 eggs that hatched? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comments below!
Robert and the team at Australia Zoo, where the late Steve Irwin had worked to save and protect numerous wildlife species, made a moving announcement on social media that left the young man in tears.
According to Robert, their team had just achieved their mission to successfully breed a unique species of freshwater turtles—with the first of 12 eggs hatching.
An image of Steve Irwin alongside an Elseya Irwini turtle, which he identified in 1990. Image source: Instagram (@robertirwinphotography)
It was Steve who first discovered this new species, which he named Elseya Irwini, in 1990 while exploring rivers in Far North Queensland.
This turtle, native to Australia, is now among the endangered species.
In the very special video, Robert held a tiny turtle in his hands before carefully dropping it into a pond in the Zoo.
‘This is one of the highlights of my entire life and one of the most special moments ever for Australia Zoo,’ Robert told the camera.
‘This is the very first Elseya Irwini Irwin’s turtle ever hatched for any zoological facility anywhere in the world.’
‘This species is a turtle that my dad originally discovered out in the wild, and for the first time, we’ve got a little baby, and right now, he’s going to get his first swim in a brand new pond.’
‘This is a little slice of the wild. Let's get him in the water.’
Robert Irwin lets the first turtle out of 12 eggs go into a new pond. Image source: Instagram (@robertirwinphotography)
‘It’s just so surreal and all the stories from Dad about just how amazing and beautiful they are.’
A teary-eyed Robert, overwhelmed, confessed he rarely becomes emotional. As a staff member mentioned his father's pride, the 19-year-old Irwin observed the turtle in the water with a nod.
‘My dad would be stoked with that. We did it,’ Robert said.
Captioning the sweet video, the wildlife warrior wrote, ‘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.
Robert Irwin, holding back tears, recalls his dad's memories while witnessing a special moment. Image source: Instagram (@robertirwinphotography)
‘A rare and unique species under threat in the wild has just been given a second chance.’
Robert's girlfriend, Rorie Buckey, was one of the first to express excitement about the announcement, commenting, ‘So cool,’ with a heart emoji.
Fans of the family and their work also expressed their joy at the announcement.
‘I’m not crying, you’re crying,’ One wrote.
One fan suggested, ‘Name him Steve.’
‘Keep going, man. You’re on a great way to fill out your dad’s footsteps,’ added another.
‘Steve is looking down and crying tears of joy. His heart is proud of not only turtle, but with the fact that his legacy continued with the same path he visualised,’ someone else responded.
‘That is an incredible achievement legend. You are rightly proud. I’m sure your Dad had a hand in that miraculous conception,’ another commenter wrote.
‘It really is incredibly special. You can imagine the personal meaning that this has, but also for the conversation of this species, it’s incredibly important,’ he said.
Not only did Robert’s post on social media receive an outpouring of love from his fans, but the story was also picked up by Australian news sources and made headlines.
As Robert Irwin captioned, a rare and unique species under threat in the wild has now been granted a second chance. Video source: Instagram (@robertirwinphotography)
On a Monday episode of the Sunrise show, Robert showcased an adult Irwin’s turtle, celebrating the ‘indescribable’ achievement.
Irwin held a fully grown female Irwin's turtle, describing the species as ‘beautiful animals’.
‘Dad spent so much time in the wild with them on the Burdekin River to prove that this is a new species and prove their conservation significance.
Robert Irwin showed the mother turtle on TV, talking about the special moment. Image source: Instagram (@robertirwinphotography)
‘It’s been a big dream to have them at Australia Zoo and a very far-flung dream to maybe one day breed them, and we’ve been successful.’
‘This secures the future of Dad’s turtle.’
‘Legacy is everything to us, and this really is living proof that Dad’s message and his legacy are still alive and ongoing.’
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