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Published on December 2, 2007

Bindi Irwin, the dynamic nine-year-old daughter of the late Steve Irwin, has inherited the Crocodile Hunter's passion for wildlife conservation and enthusiasm for animals.

Like her father, who died last year, she has her own wildlife series, called "Bindi: The Jungle Girl", which premieres tomorrow at 5pm on Animal Planet and will be screened every weekday at the same time. Each week, from her perch in a two-storey tree-house high in the jungle, viewers will see Bindi bubbling over with excitement as she introduces everyone to her wonderful world of cute and not-so-cute animals.

Bindi is home-schooled and makes excellent grades - a first-class fourth-grader who likes creative writing but isn't so keen on maths. She donates a lot of her time and pocket money to help Wildlife Warriors Worldwide and assists at the Australian Wildlife Hospital. She also sponsors an underprivileged child in Asia. We have a chat with the young adventurer.

What has it been like filming "Bindi: The Jungle Girl?"

The best part of filming this series was getting to work with my dad. He was so much fun, and he taught me so much about wildlife and how important it is for people to care about animals.

 

Do you have a favourite moment?

One of my favourite moments was swinging on the ropes that we have in my tree-house. It is just so much fun to be able to swing around the place from rope to rope. I also loved it when my pet dog, Diamond, made a surprise visit to the tree-house and, of course, it was so good when I got to have my pet rat Candy on the show!

You have a rat as a pet?

Candy is my favourite friend and we do lots of fun things together! He likes to play with all of my other animal friends too, except the snakes, of course!

Do you have a favourite episode?

I really love them all, but I'd have to say that "Elephants at Work" is probably one of my favourites.

Elephants are amazing creatures, and it's really sad, because they are losing their habitat in certain parts of the world. They work so hard, like bulldozers, but they can also be fun. 

 

What's it like living in a two-storey tree-house - every kid's ultimate fantasy - for this show?

My tree-house is amazing because I get to spend time with some of my favourite friends like my black-headed python, Blackie; my iguana, Peru; my koala, Jaffa; and my kookaburra, Tick. The tree-house is the starting point for every show.

We got the idea for the tree-house because my dad built me a real one in our zoo, and we would play and eat together there. But the tree-house in my show is so much bigger and full of really fun things.

How involved are you in coming up with ideas for the series?

If I have an idea for an episode, say about pandas, I'll talk to my mum and the producer and let them know. They always listen to me.

Do you get a lot of fan mail, and do you have time to answer any? Is there a website where people can post comments?

People send lots of e-mails and fan mail to Australia Zoo, but because I have school and lots of activities, I need help to send replies. The good thing about the series is that I answer some e-mails directly from fans on the show. People can send me e-mails at DiscoveryKids.com, and go to the section called "Bindi's Blog".

 

You are becoming a spokesperson for the younger generation. What do you think kids can do to impact the environment and help protect wildlife? 

I believe that we will lose a lot of animals from the planet before I am old enough to drive. That is very sad. I want to encourage people to do something in their own way to help stop this terrible thing from happening. One thing everyone can do is not buy any wildlife products. The series will teach kids about the beauty of animals and how to protect them.