'Rest In Peace Angel' Bindi Irwin Pays Heartfelt Tribute To Her Lovely Animal Friend

The 24-year-old Wildlife Warrior and her family are mourning the loss of a small animal friend. Bindi Irwin, 24, paid homage to the Australia Zoo's echidna, a relative of the platypus that is also known as a spiny anteater, which she and her family looked after for almost four decades, penning a heartfelt tribute on Instagram in honor of the beloved creature.

Bindi captioned a carousel of images of herself, brother Robert Irwin, and mom Terri Irwin, "Saying goodbye to our lovely family member of 38 years." She added, "The sweetest, kindest, most wonderful echidna you ever did meet. Rest In Peace, angel."

The special bond Bindi and her family shared with the echidna ned generations, as seen in one image Bindi uploaded of herself introducing the animal to her 16-month-old daughter, Grace Warrior. Robert Irwin added the post to his Instagram Story, just adding a broken heart emoji to share the news with his followers.

The Irwin family's loss comes after the Crikey! It's Irwin's star who celebrated her 24th birthday. Bindi commemorated the occasion by sharing a series of pictures, credited to Robert, a talented photographer who takes many of the family's photos on Instagram, reflecting on the ups and downs of the past year.

In the post's caption, Bindi wrote, "The last year has been filled with tremendous growth, unpredictable/difficult times, and above all, love beyond my wildest dreams." She continued, "Without them realizing, my sweet family has given me amazing gifts this year through their unique daily actions."

She added, "My darling daughter, the gift of seeing beauty in all things and heading towards joy and bubbles, which are the same thing to her with an open heart. I am grateful for another trip around the sun and another year to make my biggest difference in this world."