Bindi Irwin touched by 'beautiful' viral bushfire sketch of Steve Irwin

She spends her life campaigning for animal conservation and continuing on the work of her late father, Steve Irwin.

And now Bindi Irwin has reached out to an Australian artist who created a touching tribute to the half a billion 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.

Bindi revealed two days ago that Australia Zoo is trying to save as many animals as they can from the devastating bushfires.

“With so many devastating fires within Australia, my heart breaks for the people and wildlife who have lost so much. I wanted to let you know that we are SAFE. There are no fires near us @AustraliaZoo or our conservation properties,” Bindi wrote.

“Our Wildlife Hospital is busier than ever though, having officially treated over 90,000 patients. My parents dedicated our Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital to my beautiful grandmother. We will continue to honour her by being Wildlife Warriors and saving as many lives as we can.”Got a story tip or just want to get in touch? Email us at lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com