Bindi Irwin was already following in the footsteps of her crocodile-hunting father, Steve Irwin,
long before he suddenly passed away at the age of 44 in 2006.
And since then, she has proven to be a true chip off of the old block, continuing his
legacy while establishing her own.
Here's a look at how nature ambassador Bindi Irwin has grown up.
Nature show star
When she was just eight years old, Bindi was given her own animal-centric docuseries, Bindi
the Jungle Girl.
Her father recorded appearances for several episodes of the show before his untimely death
and had big hopes for his little girl's on-screen success.
As a tribute to her father's life's work and message, Bindi and her mother, Terri, decided
to carry on with her TV series after Steve's death and continued spreading their family's
love for all living things.
The show, which premiered the summer after his passing, earned her a Daytime Emmy Award
for outstanding performer in a Children's Series at the age of nine.
"And it's so funny to be all dressed up because actually we were just on a crocodile research
trip at the Steve Irwin wildlife reserve, which was very exciting."
Picking up the torch
When Steve Irwin was fatally wounded by a stingray barb while filming another show,
his daughter braved the big crowd during his memorial service at the Australia Zoo to deliver
a touching spoken tribute to her father.
During that celebrated speech, the pint-sized Bindi announced her own intention to carry
on his mission.
"I don't want daddy's passion to ever end.
I want to help endangered wildlife just like he did."
Shortly after the memorial service, Bindi and her mother were chosen to represent Australia's
tourism interests abroad.
They appeared on Larry King Live, at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, and even on The Late
Show with David Letterman to tout the outback — and to spread her father's message.
Entrepreneur
As part of her efforts to promote the Australia Zoo, Bindi hosted a reality competition called
Bindi's Bootcamp, and also made guest appearances on a number of other shows, appearing on Today,
Jon & Kate Plus 8, The Oprah Winfrey Show, Live!
With Kelly, The Bonnie Hunt Show, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show to talk about her family's
work.
But she didn't stop with television.
In addition to designing her own clothing line for the zoo called Bindi Wear, she also
launched a series of educational young reader books called Bindi Wildlife Adventures, and
penned an autobiography called A Year in the Life of Bindi.
So... what have you done lately?
She also an actress
Considering her proven charm and grace on-screen, it wasn't long before Hollywood started setting
its sights on Bindi, recruiting her for small acting roles in a number of movies and TV
shows, most of which were still on-brand with her conservationist endeavors.
First came the straight-to-DVD production of Free Willy: Escape from Pirate's Cove,
then an episode of My Babysitter's a Vampire.
And her first full-length feature film was 2013's Return to Nim's Island, which had its
premiere, of course, at the Australia Zoo.
Sticking up for SeaWorld
While Bindi supports several ecological organizations, primarily Wildlife Warriors, she came under
fire after announcing she'd work on kids programs with the U.S.-based aquatic theme park SeaWorld
in 2014.
The park has become increasingly scrutinized since the 2013 documentary Blackfish exposed
the hidden dangers of keeping killer whales in captivity.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals even spoke out against the entire Irwin family
for her association with the company, blasting them for "exploiting animals for years."
Even her own grandfather spoke against the company after her association was announced.
Despite the bad press, Bindi has since done educational webisodes and personal appearances
at the parks as planned.
"We are so excited to be bringing Generation Nature live to everyone here in Orlando."
Dancing star
Bindi's flair for the crocodile rock was apparently programmed at birth, but that wasn't the only
dance she mastered during her stint opposite Derek Hough on the 21st season of Dancing
With the Stars.
And Bindi ended up winning the show.
She credited her father for her love of moving and grooving to music, telling The Washington
Post, "My mom says anytime Dad would watch me dance around the zoo he would cry.
I think the real reason I'm doing this is to make him proud and everyone back at home
in Australia proud."
Outdoorsy boyfriend
Bindi's long-term boyfriend, American Chandler Powell, is a professional wakeboarder who
has no shortage of respect for her father's legacy, calling Steve Irwin "the greatest
wildlife warrior to ever have lived."
The Daily Mail reported that Powell, who met Bindi during a 2013 family visit to the Australia
Zoo, has been ring shopping, but "Bindi dismissed the rumours."
For now, Bindi, who celebrated her 18th birthday in 2016, is still focused on her mission of
wildlife conservation, frequently urging on her Instagram followers with inspirational
messages, such as this one reminding us all that "we have one planet, one chance, to create
a beautiful future, for those yet to walk in our footsteps."
Like father, like daughter.
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