An image of the iconic Steve Irwin welcoming some of the 480 million animals lost in the devastating Australian bushfires has gone viral.
Artist Sharnia-Mae Sturm II shared the stunning photo on social media which has since gone viral.
WATCH: Terrifying video shows firefighters trapped by raging flames
One part of the sketch shows some of the animal bushfire victims including kangaroos, koalas, a cockatoo and an emu, along with Irwin’s famous catchphrase, “Crikey”.
The other image shows the Crocodile Hunter kneeling saying “Don’t worry little guys! I’ll take care of you.”
“It’s sad to say that I’ve spent about three weeks or so on this and the subject is still relevant,” Sturm wrote on Instagram.
She continued: “This little tribute drawing goes to all the innocent animals caught in the blazes across my home country, it breaks my heart to see it’s still going on but there’s only so much that can be done to keep it from spreading.
“I hope all the animals who couldn’t make it are now in heaven with Steve Irwin, being taken care of, and not having a care in the world or memory of how they got there.
“Rest in Peace fuzzy babies, we will miss you.”
Fans were quick to praise the image, which has been shared across Instagram, Facebook, Reddit and Twitter.
“This is so beautiful. Such tears,” Instagram user lili.loo234 wrote online.
“I’ve seen some pretty (expletive) up pictures today including the baby roo pic, but this is the one that just made me burst into tears,” another wrote on Reddit.
Another Reddit user chimed in: “My gosh, this is the image that broke me tonight.”Expatriate Sturm hails from Kambalda in WA, but now lives in the state of Georgia in the U.S. with her husband, Marshall.
Meanwhile, Irwin’s daughter Bindi has been active on social media, sharing how she and her Australia Zoo family are working to save as many animals as they can.
“With so many devastating fires within Australia, my heart breaks for the people and wildlife who have lost so much,” she posted on Instagram, also letting fans and followers know she and her family are safe – and revealing that the staff at Australia Zoo’s animal hospital have already treated tens of thousands of animals injured as a result of the raging fires.
“Our Wildlife Hospital is busier than ever,” she continued, “having officially treated over 90,000 patients.”
The young conservationist added that they were “saving as many lives as we can”.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
