Bindi Irwin Remembers Late Dad ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin on His Birthday

Friday, Feb. 22, marks what would have been Steve Irwin‘s 57th birthday, and his family used social media to share touching tributes to the late activist.

Irwin’s daughter, 20-year-old Bindi Irwin, posted a throwback photo of herself as a baby snuggled in her dad’s arms, with Steve holding his daughter as well as a cuddly koala.

“Thank you for always being my guiding light,” Bindi wrote along with a red heart emoji.

On Friday, Irwin was honored with a Google Doodle on the search service’s homepage, with the drawing showing the beloved activist holding a crocodile.

The full Doodle is an animated feature following Steve’s life, from his adventures with wildlife to his family with his wife, Terri Irwin, to opening the Australia Zoo.

Bindi’s 15-year-old brother, Robert, also shared a tribute to his dad on the day, posting a shot of the Google Doodle.

“Thank you so much, [Google] for honouring dad with his own #GoogleDoodle all over the world,” Robert wrote. “A perfect way to celebrate his birthday, sharing everything he did to make the world a better place.”

“Many thanks to [Google] for commemorating Steve’s life so beautifully on this special day,” Terri added on Twitter.

Irwin tragically passed away in 2006 after being stung by a stingray. Since his death, Terri, Bindi and Robert, have worked to honor Steve’s legacy and continue to educate the public about wildlife. The family now has their own Animal Planet series, Crikey! It’s The Irwins, that follows them as they run the Australia Zoo and they also travel the world to share their love of animals.

Along with the Animal Planet series, Bindi previously hosted the Discovery Kids series Bindi, the Jungle Girl and co-created her own book series, Bindi Wildlife Adventures.

Robert often appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to share exotic animals with the host, and the 15-year-old has also hosted the wildlife series Wild But True on Discovery Kids.

Bindi and Terri recently appeared on an episode of the show with Irwin, where the trio discussed their projects and the importance of continuing Steve’s mission.

“We’re really working hard to really change the society’s perspective on conservation, because ultimately, it’s about us as well,” Robert explained.

Bindi also complimented her brother, who has now been appearing on The Tonight Show for two years, echoing a tradition started by Steve.

“Robert is more and more like Dad every single day,” she told Fallon. “We’re so proud of him.”

Photo Credit: Getty / Newspix