An Australian zoo made history after successfully hatching a turtle named for Steve Irwin.
In a video, Irwin’s son Robert holds a recently hatched Irwin’s turtle and explains how that turtle is the first successful to be born in captivity.
Robert gets emotional in the video over the special moment while remembering his father and his conservation efforts.
“It’s just so surreal. And all the stories from my dad about how amazing and beautiful they are,” says Robert Irwin in the video. “My dad would be stoked for that.”
Robert then releases the turtle into the newly built tank, where it happily plops into the water and swims away.
Steve Irwin, the legendary Australian wildlife conservationist, and his father discovered the turtle on a fishing trip years ago. The turtle was named Irwin in his honor. The species is extremely rare, and its habitat has dwindled in recent years.
