More than 12 years after the death of Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter‘s son, Robert Irwin, is giving fans the feels. The 15-year-old protege shared side-by-side photos of himself and his late father feeding the same crocodile at the Australian Zoo on his Instagram, and fans cannot handle how closely he’s following in his footsteps.
Clad in the same khaki shorts and button up shirt, Robert bears a shocking resemblance to his late father, striking the same pose while feeding the same crocodile, called Murray. In the caption, Robert revealed the coincidence, writing, “Dad and me feeding Murray… same place, same croc – two photos 15 years apart.”
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The photo, unsurprisingly, stirred up a lot of emotions from fans, who couldn’t believe how long it had been since Steve passed away in 2006 after suffering a stingray injury to the heart while filming a documentary.
“I think the whole world would agree, your dad would be super proud of you,” one fan wrote. “Keep on rocking, man.”
Another added, “Okay well I didn’t expect to cry at 7:30 on a Wednesday morning, but here we are.”
Robert isn’t the only Irwin following in the famous animal advocate’s footsteps. Sister Bindi will also be appearing alongside her brother in the new Animal Planet series, Crikey! It’s the Irwins, premiering Oct. 28.
“I am so happy to announce that our brand new Animal Planet series will be airing on October 28th,” Bindi wrote on Twitter to announce the news. “We can’t wait to share our story with you as we continue Dad’s important work. This feels like a beautiful new life chapter. I hope to see you there.”
The series, the network has revealed, will draw inspiration from The Crocodile Hunter. The trailer showed the family working with animals such as crocodiles, tigers and rhinos at Australia Zoo, where Steve and wife Terri worked together before his death.
Crikey! It’s the Irwins premieres Oct. 28 on Animal Planet.
Photo credit: Instagram/Bindi Irwin
