Bindi Irwin thankful for “beautiful” bushfire sketch of father Steve
Bindi Irwin has reached out to an Australian artist who created a tribute to more than 500 million animals which have died in the bushfires ravaging the country.
Sharnia-Mae Sturn took to social media last week to share her artwork, which shows a group of animals – including koalas, kangaroos, echidnas and an emu – and Steve Irwin welcoming them into his embrace.
“Don’t worry little guys! I’ll take care of you,” the words on the print 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,” wrote Sturn on her Sketchy Koala Facebook page.
“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.”
On Sunday, Sturn shared that the daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter had thanked her for the tribute.
“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,” Sturn wrote.
“That’s one of the biggest achievements I could reach from this.”
Bindi said while the Irwin family-owned Australia Zoo is safe, the Wildlife Hospital has been receiving tens of thousands of wildlife patients.
“With so many devastating fires within Australia, my heart breaks for the people and wildlife who have lost so much,” Bindi said in a statement shared on Instagram.
“There are no fires near us @AustraliaZoo or our conservation properties. 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.”
OverSixty, its parent company and its owners are donating a total of $200,000 to the Vinnie’s Bushfire Appeal. We have also pledged an additional $100,000 of product to help all those affected by the bushfire crisis. We would love you to support too! Head to the Vinnie's website to donate!