‘Dad would be stoked’: Robert Irwin’s emotional milestone

Robert Irwin had an emotional moment at Australia Zoo recently, marking a milestone that would have held very special meaning to his late father.

Conservationist Robert Irwin had an emotional moment at Australia Zoo recently, marking a milestone that would have held very special meaning to his late father.

Irwin, 19, was dressed in his Australia Zoo khakis in a short video posted to social media, holding a tiny baby turtle that he was about to release into its enclosure for the first time.

But this wasn’t just any baby turtle, as Irwin explained the moment was “one of the highlights of my entire life, and one of the most special moments ever here at Australia Zoo.”

Bob with a baby turtle...

His father made the discovery in the early 90s.

That’s because the turtle is an “Elseya Irwini,” a species of turtle first discovered by Robert’s father Steve Irwin in the early 1990s. Some 30 years later, Robert explained that this is the first of this particular species hatched in any zoological facility or captivity, anywhere in the world.

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. pic.twitter.com/w2K7FjKYUA

— Robert Irwin (@RobertIrwin) October 14, 2023

“This is so surreal. All the stories from dad about how beautiful they are... I don’t get emotional about much,” Irwin said, choking back tears as he released the tiny turtle into its pond.

“You tearing up? Dad would be really proud, mate,” a voice could be hear telling Irwin off-camera.

“Dad would be stoked with that... we did it,” he said.

Bob gets emotional: “Dad would be stoked with that.”

The emotional video has clearly struck a cord with fans of the Irwins – it’s already been watched more than 9 million times on Twitter, and attracted thousands of supportive comments on Irwin’s Instagram account.

Last month, Robert posted a loving Father’s Day tribute to his dad, who died following a stingray encounter in 2006, when Robert was just two years old.

“Days like this are filled with so many different emotions, but above all, I choose to make it a happy day to remember the best moments with the best dad,” Irwin said in his Father’s Day post.

He also shared a couple of photos to his Instagram stories with the words: “With Father’s Day here in Australia – I’m sending my love to those who can’t celebrate with their dad. My heart is with you all.”

Originally published as ‘Dad would be stoked’: Robert Irwin’s emotional milestone