Bindi Irwin Says 'Goodbye To Family Member Of 38 Years'

Bindi Irwin is mourning a loss.

The wildlife conservationist disclosed that her family's echidna had died almost four decades after it came to stay with the Irwins.

The sad update comes a few hours after Irwin's daughter, Grace Warrior, had a touching interaction with her grandpa, Steve.

Bindi said goodbye to the echidna, which she affectionately referred to as a "family member," with a carousel of photos posted to Instagram. The images showed the  24-year-old having a good time with the 38-year-old echidna.

The pictures also showed the echidna posing with Bindi's brother Robert and their mom, Terri. The zookeeper added a heartfelt tribute to the Australia Zoo's animal – a relative of the platypus, also known as a spiny anteater. In her words:

"Saying goodbye to our beautiful family member of 38 years. The sweetest, kindest, most wonderful echidna you ever did meet. Rest In Peace, angel [white heart emoji]."

The post caught fans' eye as they gave it over 90k likes within its first ten hours. They also dropped hopeful messages for the family with one person writing, "Oh my heart, one lucky little one to be loved so true! Sending hugs!" 

Another claimed, "I am so extremely sorry for your loss. Heartbreaking," and a third sympathizer was glad that the echidna had a good while alive.

A fourth fan thanked Bindi for doing her bit in taking care of the animals. Bindi has often shown her emotions and shared updates where the zoo's animals are concerned. 

The Blast reported in July that she publicly asked for help to raise money for an injured owl, Moon, to get treatment.

At the time, the mother-of-one gave fans a background of Moon's story via Instagram. Along with an image of the owl staring intently at the camera, Irwin penned:

"Moon the stunning sooty owl is recovering in our @AustraliaZoo Wildlife Hospital Bird ICU. He is suffering from an injured leg, and is receiving the best treatment and care from the loving team. You can help with Moon's rehabilitation by donating to @wildlifewarriorsworldwide [green heart emoji]."

Fans quickly filled the comments with well-wishes for the owl, and a bunch pledged to help out however they could.

On July 31, Bindi welcomed the new month of August by sharing a heartwarming Instagram video of little Grace hanging outside the zoo's Tasmanian devil habitat, which had been temporarily closed for renovations. 

According to The Blast, the footage showed Grace channeling her inner Barbie with a pink windbreaker, a matching long-sleeved top, shoes, and black-and-whit striped bottoms.

The clip also showed that the Irwins placed barriers marked with marking fliers outside the habitat. The fliers were decorated with a photo of Steve in a hard hat and "Crikey We're Under Construction" written across.

Grace seemed at peace as she trolled to the blockade with her mother, whose voice is heard in the video's background. During their time together, the "Bindi the Jungle Girl" star asked if the toddler could recognize her late grandfather. 

To provide her answer, the one-year-old immediately ran up to one of the signs and pointed at it. Next, Bindi asked her daughter, "Do you love Grandpa Crocodile?" Grace happily exclaimed, "Yeah!" before she leaned towards Steve's picture in adoration.

The little angel later walked over to another poster before giving a cute wave while her mother narrated the touching interaction in a babyish voice.

Bindi ensured that her one-year-old knew of her knee as she moved back and forth between the posters as the "Return to Nim's Island" star said, "I love you, sweetheart. Grandpa Crocodile loves you too."

In the caption below the video, the conservationist explained that the ongoing construction in the Tasmanian devil habitat at their Australian zoo would beautify the sanctuary even more.

However, the best part of inspecting the works has to be Grace's reaction to her grandfather's picture on warning signs, as it was the toddler's favorite part.

Fans expressed their joy at seeing the post by giving it over 255k likes and numerous comments. Many commenters suggested that the bond between late Steve and his granddaughter occurred as his soul must have connected with Grace's.