Robert Irwin Shares the Unique Way He Remains Connected to Late Dad Steve Irwin

Robert Irwin was just two years old when his beloved father, Steve Irwin, passed away from a stingray attack in 2006. But the Dancing with the Stars champ still has a unique way of remaining connected to the Crocodile Hunter.

“My family and I still feed the very same [crocodiles] that he did, and it’s such a special thing for me,” Irwin, 22, told Kylie Kelce during the Thursday, December 18, episode of her Not Gonna Lie podcast. “I love that it’s these animals that were always kind of maligned and misunderstood, and people thought they were just running around eating you.”

He continued, “I feel the closest to my dad when I’m in there with his crocodiles, and I’m feeding them. And it’s beautiful. It’s also the ultimate adrenaline rush. Like, mate, it is great.”

The youngest Irwin has grown up at his father’s Australia Zoo and stepped into Steve’s shoes as a conservationist. He recently revealed he’s “heading back home” to work with the Crocodile Hunter Lodge, which he called a “passion project.”

“[Crocodiles are] these big scary monsters. But I get to convince people and show people how lovable they are and how beautiful and powerful and intelligent these creatures are and to hopefully get people to to fall in love with them,” he told Kelce. “And that’s exactly what he did.”