Pregnant Bindi Irwin Reveals How Late Dad Steve Irwin Inspired Her Daughter’s Nickname

Bindi Irwin is preparing to welcome her first child, a daughter, and she revealed in a new interview with The Bump that her baby girl already has a nickname. “My dad was the first person to create the term ‘Wildlife Warrior,’” she said, referring to her late father, conservationist Steve Irwin.

The mom-to-be explained that “Being a Wildlife Warrior means to stand up and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves” and that she and husband Chandler Powell have “been referring to our daughter as our Baby Wildlife Warrior. I know in my heart that she will forge her own path to make our planet a better place.” Along with Irwin’s daughter, her mom, Terri Irwin, also has a new nickname, with Irwin sharing that in her new role as grandma, Terri will be called “Bunny” by her new granddaughter.

“My extraordinary mama is my best friend and I know that she is going to be such an amazing grandmother,” she said. “We spent a long time searching for grandma names that also had an animal link. We decided that she’s going to be called ‘Bunny’. When she was growing up in Oregon her neighbour down the street was always called ‘Bunny’. It only just dawned on us that it wasn’t her name but rather what everyone called her since she was a grandmother figure to the entire neighborhood.” As for Irwin’s brother, Robert Irwin, he’s going by “funcle,” because, as Irwin put it, the 17-year-old “decided that ‘uncle’ needed an upgrade.”

Steve Irwin died in 2006, and Irwin shared that her dad “would have been the best grandfather.” “I always joke that if he was still here we’d never see our baby because he’d take her on all kinds of adventures!” she said. “I want to make sure our baby girl gets to know my dad and thankfully we have many documentaries and photos we can share with her. I think she’ll love getting to watch footage of Dad working with all kinds of animals and learning about his legacy.”

Irwin is currently in her third trimester, and while she already has a nickname for her daughter, she and Powell are waiting until she is born to choose her actual name. “We want to hold her and make sure the name that we choose fits her perfectly,” the 22-year-old explained. “We have been looking through family history on both my side and Chandler’s side for family name inspiration. Once she arrives I think we’ll know exactly what to name her.”