Robert Irwin reveals the ‘most important’ lesson his dad taught him

The son of the legendary Steve Irwin has opened up about his late dad, revealing the most important lesson he learned from him before his tragic passing.

The world truly lost a great one when the 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin died in 2006 after being fatally pierced in the chest by a short-tailed stingray's barb.

The Australian conservationist and animal lover, aged just 44, was filming for the underwater documentary Ocean's Deadliest when the accident happened, leaving behind his wife Terri and their two children, Bindi, eight, and Robert, two.

In the two decades since Steve's passing, Terri and their two children have continued his legacy by managing the famous Australia Zoo in Queensland, advocating for global animal protection through their Wildlife Warriors charity, and educating the world on wildlife and conservation.

Rob, now 22, juggles quite a busy schedule - while working as a keeper at Australia Zoo, he also works hard as a conservationist and wildlife photographer, as well as stepping into the world of entertainment in recent years.

And during a recent appearance on LADbible's Honesty Box series, he's opened up in more depth about his work - including an important lesson he took from his late dad.

Steve Irwin, pictured with a young Robert, sadly died at the age of 44 when he was fatally pierced by a stingray barb (Instagram/@robertirwinphotography)

'I think that is something I've kept with me for my whole life'

"The most important lesson that my dad taught me was this thing he used to always say, which is, 'Treat every living being the way you would wish to be treated'," Rob says.

"And, you know, that's that old saying, 'Treat every person you come into contact with how you wanna be treated'.

"But he really extended that out to every animal, every plant, every person, every living being that you interact with should be met with the same level of care, appreciation, and respect that you would wanna receive.

"And I think that is something that I've kept with me for my whole life."

Rob adds: "I think it's very important. And if you treat everything with a sense of passion, with a sense of respect, and if you treat every living being with respect, I think that's very, very important.

"And I think there's a lot of people who could take that on board."

'He was a unifying voice more than anything else'

In the episode, Rob also touches on how he feels close to his dad when he works with animals.

"I feel the closest to his legacy, to what he was all about," he says when asked about his work. "And I feel like my job is to echo the message that he created and to bring that message, that sense of fun and positivity, conservation, all of that to a new audience.

Robert Irwin is closely following his father's footsteps by working in conservation and educating the world on wildlife (Instagram/@robertirwinphotography)

"And it is such an honor to do that. When I'm around people who share that sense of passion, you know, I realise... he would be very proud, I think, of the direction the world is heading and the people who are trying to unify, you know?

"He was a unifying voice more than anything else. He wanted people to get involved in conservation through the lens of fun and enthusiasm and joy and hope and optimism and all of that.

"And that is very, very important to me. And his legacy and the way he conducted himself is something that will always be like my North Star, for sure."

And as for what his favorite animal is?

It's the saltwater crocodile... even though he was once 'death rolled' by one.

"We've been involved in world-leading crocodile research for a very long time, learning about this modern-day dinosaur," Rob says. "And there's a lot more to them than meets the eye.

"They're affectionate, they're very protective mothers, very intelligent creatures. And they're also just the coolest.

"I mean, they're a living dinosaur. What a boss! Those things are amazing. So yeah, crocodile's my absolute favorite."