‘Crocodile Hunter’s’ Son Robert Irwin Tearfully Highlights Plight of Koalas in Australia’s Bushfires

Getty Images | Lisa Maree Williams

Robert Irwin, the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin’s teenage son, discussed the devastating fate of koalas amid the Australian bushfire crisis alongside his mother in a television interview, and emotions ran high.

Speaking to Sunrise alongside conservationist and Australia Zoo figurehead Terri Irwin, Robert, 16, fought back tears and quietly deferred to his mother when asked by news anchors about the future of Australia’s koala population.

“Their instinct is to go up,” Terri explained; “safety’s in the top of the tree. And with a hot fire, the eucalyptus trees have so much oil in their leaves that they ignite and actually explode.

“So being able to treat and help koalas is few and far between because they’re basically incinerated,” the wildlife conservationist continued, “which is absolutely heart breaking.”

(L–R) Rebecca Turner, Judy Brady, Sheila Bailey, and Cheyne Flanagan treat a koala named "Peter" from Lake Innes Nature Reserve at Australia's Port Macquarie Koala Hospital on Nov. 29, 2019. ©Getty Images | Nathan Edwards

After the widespread blaze is eventually extinguished, however, the Irwins fear that designating safe habitat for the country’s beloved marsupials will not be enough to ensure repopulation of the species.

“Koalas are classed as vulnerable,” Terri explained, “and I think after this event, we need to really sit down and look at classing them as endangered and protecting our icons.”

“Our kangaroos, our koalas, [they are] inspirational to Australians as well as our visitors from overseas,” she reflected.

An injured koala rests in a washing basket at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park in Australia's Parndana region on Jan. 8, 2020. ©Getty Images | Lisa Maree Williams

Robert, who allowed his mother to take the reins throughout this portion of the interview, touched many viewers’ hearts with his poignant silence as Terri described the loss of so many koalas as “just kind of a stab in the heart.”

In an interview with CNN, the mother-son team went on to explain that since the bushfires began in September 2019, Steve Irwin’s enduring legacy, the Australia Zoo, has been inundated with injured wildlife. This time, Robert extrapolated.

Orphaned baby koalas in their pen at the newly set up Adelaide Koala Rescue in Adelaide, Australia, on Jan. 8, 2020 ©Getty Images | Mark Brake

“It’s so devastating and heartbreaking for us to see that all across the country, vital habitats and so many animals from koalas to kangaroos to fruit bats have been displaced,” he began.

“Now as they try to escape the flames, we’re seeing not only burn injuries, but also animals coming onto roads, being hit by cars, attacked by dogs,” the teen conservationist continued, “so it really is a tough situation, and it’s going to be something that’s going to take years to recover from.”

Firefighters battle a raging spot fire in Hillville, Australia, on Nov. 13, 2019. ©Getty Images | Sam Mooy

The Australia Zoo’s Wildlife Hospital has rescued over 90,000 animals since its inauguration. Their intake, however, has been “rising quite quickly in the last few days,” Robert said.

On Jan. 7, 2020, ecologists at the University of Sydney and World Wildlife Fund Australia released a statement, estimating that approximately 1.25 billion animals may have been killed as either a direct or indirect result of the fires. In addition, the flames have ravaged 8.4 million hectares of land across Australia.

(L–R) Robert, Terri, and Bindi Irwin with Bindi's fiancé, Chandler Powell, at Steve Irwin's posthumous Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame reveal on April 26, 2018 ©Getty Images | David Livingston

It is a crushing blow to the entire country and its vulnerable wildlife population.

Robert took to Twitter with a message of reassurance. “We’ll continue to try as best we can to help as many of the millions of animals affected by these fires,” he promised.