Robert Irwin gets emotional upon successfully breeding rare 'Irwin’s turtle' discovered by late dad

The Irwin family has established a legacy through their efforts at conserving wildlife. Steve Irwin, the late patriarch of the family, advocated to protect endangered species throughout his life. In 1990 he came across a turtle while on a trip with his father, as per The Sydney Morning Herald. He took it to expert John Cann, who verified that it was indeed a new species. Therefore, it was eventually named Irwin's turtle. Unfortunately, these turtles were already under major threat because of the construction of the Burdekin Falls Dam, as explained by Wildlife Warriors. But a major milestone shared by Steve's son Robert about this species gives a ray of hope.

Steve worked tirelessly to protect these turtles and now his son is sharing a good prognosis about the animal's chances on his social media account. He shared the news about the recent hatching of an Irwin's turtle, the first breeding of the rare freshwater species in a zoo ever since Steve discovered it on the Burdekin River, Queensland in 1990.

The family and the zoo for a long time have been trying to breed the turtle in a protected environment. This would ensure that the turtles are not exploited by poachers and they can be given the conditions they need to survive. Finally, they have been successful, as Robert Irwin holds the proof of it in his hands in the video shared on his social media. He is holding a baby Elseya Irwini that has been born in a pond outside the wild. 

Robert starts off the video by saying, “This is one of the highlights of my entire life, one of the most special moments ever for Australia Zoo. This is the very first Elseya Irwini, Irwin’s turtle, ever hatched for any zoological facility anywhere in the world.” This is followed by Steve's images with the female specimen of the turtle. It is publically known how much Steve wanted to see these turtles thrive and after his tragic passing away, the family has made it their mission to further his noble work. This achievement has made the family overwhelmed as they have fulfilled one of Steve's dreams. 

Thereafter, Robert adds the big milestone the little turtle was going to achieve that day, “For the first time we’ve got a little baby and he’s gonna get his first swim in a brand new pond.” Robert has always maintained a cheerful persona when it comes to his social media. This instance was one of the few times that he let his guard down, as he was evidently emotional sharing the news. He concluded his video by reflecting with a joyous fist bump saying, “My dad would be stoked with that. We did it.”

In the caption, Robert wrote, “Wow. This was a special moment. I think Dad would be pretty proud that we’ve become the first to successfully breed the turtle that he discovered. A rare and unique species under threat in the wild has just been given a second chance.”

The comment section applauded Robert and the zoo for their success. @sarcastikjax brought to focus how much the family is doing for humanity and wrote, "So, what Steve did for people of my generation, you and Bindi are doing for my children’s generation. Continue the passion, just as I do with telling my kids stories about your dad, they’ll tell their kids about you." @childadoo loved how Steve's dream was coming to fruition and commented, "Steve is looking down and crying tears of joy. His heart is proud of not only the turtle but with the fact that his legacy continued with the same path he visualized."