Terri Irwin recently highlighted one thing her son, Robert Irwin, did not learn from his late father, Steve Irwin.
At the Steve Irwin Gala in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 2, PEOPLE magazine caught up with Terri and Robert for an interview, where they admitted that it feels “incredibly special” to carry on the legacy of Steve, the late conservationist, environmentalist, and wildlife educator.
Terri, along with her 22-year-old son and daughter, Bindi Irwin, hosted the annual Steve Irwin Gala to facilitate the conservation work the late conservationist, environmentalist, and wildlife educator was truly devoted to.
Shedding light on how her husband changed the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park into the Australia Zoo, the 61-year-old American-Australian conservationist and naturalist said, “Everything started so small.”
“It was two acres, it was a few animals, and it was no filming. And so to see where we’ve gone, and to have Steve embrace that, was so impressive,” she noted.
Reflecting on her and Robert’s years-long journey, Terri quipped, “It was a lot of work, it was a lot of grief. There were times of great joy. And to be able to have shared that with him was incredibly special — and carry it on.”
However, one thing that Robert has got but Steve did not is “Steve never took his shirt off for wildlife,” The Crocodile Hunter star’s wife joked.
For those unaware, it is pertinent to mention that Steve Irwin passed away at the age of 44 on September 4, 2006, after a stingray barb pierced his heart while filming an underwater documentary, Ocean’s Deadliest, at Batt Reef off Queensland, Australia.