'I wish he was here': Bindi's moving bushfire post about Steve Irwin

Bindi Irwin has penned an emotional tribute to her late dad, Steve Irwin, saying she wishes he was still around to “give strength” amid the bushfire crisis.

The 21-year-old wildlife warrior took to her Instagram page to post a snap of Steve, who was known for his love of animals, cradling a kangaroo.

“Dad spent his life working so hard to protect wildlife and wild places, especially in Australia. I wish he was here right now to give advice and strength during this time of devastation with the bushfires,” Bindi wrote.

“I know that his spirit lives on through our conservation work and I hope together we can make him proud.”

Bindi touched by ‘beautiful’ viral photo

Bindi reached out to an Australian artist who created a touching tribute animals who have died in the bushfires sweeping the country.

Sharnia-Mae Sturm etched a poignant print of a group of animals, including koalas, kangaroos and an emu, looking lost as a burnt orange sky lingers behind them.

In the next photo, she drew a colourful image showing Steve Irwin in heaven, dressed in his trademark khaki shorts and top, with his arms outstretched welcoming the animals into his embrace.

“Don’t worry little guys! I’ll take care of you,” the words on the photo read.

“This little tribute drawing goes to all the innocent animals caught in the blazes across my home country, it breaks my heart to see it’s still going on but there’s only so much that can be done to keep it from spreading,” Sharnia-Mae wrote on Facebook.

“I hope all the animals who couldn’t make it are now in heaven with Steve Irwin, being taken care of, and not having a care in the world or memory of how they got there. Rest In Peace fuzzy babies, we will miss you.”

Since she posted the image to her Facebook account on New Year’s Eve, the photos have gone viral around the world and have reached Steve Irwin’s daughter, Bindi.

“I’m so proud, I found out last night that my drawing reached Bindi Irwin! She said it was beautiful and thanked me for sharing my art. That’s one of the biggest achievements I could reach from this. Just wow,” Sharnia-Mae said.

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