Rumors Of Bindi Irwin’s Death Greatly Exaggerated: Daughter Of 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin Alive And Well

Bindi Irwin is alive and well. The daughter of the late Steve Irwin, aka “The Crocodile Hunter” is the latest victim of an online celebrity death hoax, joining the likes of Cher, Eminem, and Mickey Rourke, all of whom have recently fallen prey to the macabre phenomenon.

According to EOnline, a Twitter rumor caught fire that the 14-year-old Aussie teen had died, going viral on Friday and becoming a trending topic worldwide. Unlike most celebrity death rumors, however, this hoax is due to what Social News Daily referred to as a “trends hiccup.”

Celebrity-news website GossipCop.com reported the rumor began when search engines incorrectly combined the query “Steve Irwin daughter” with news related to the 2006 death of her father. As a result, search terms such as “Steve Irwin daughter dies” emerged and took the Internet by storm.

There’s a reason for the renewed interest in Steve Irwin’s daughter. As the Huffington Post pointed out, Bindi Irwin has been making the rounds of late, promoting her new film “Return to Nim’s Island,” as well as various projects with the Discovery Channel, including “Bindi’s Bootcamp” and “Steve Irwin’s Wildlife Warriors.”

Speaking to Yahoo Singapore, she said: “I’m a great believer in conservation, kid-empowerment and all things to do with wildlife. So these programs are something that I’m really passionate and excited about. It’s very special -- and what a unique position to be in, to be able to share your passion with such a wide audience. How nice is that? We literally live right in the middle of the Australia zoo, and that is really wonderful in itself. But it’s also great because anyone who comes to visit us gets to experience a family of animals and keepers, and really take something with them. They end up having a greater appreciation of wildlife -- and that’s what it’s all about, for me.”

Bindi’s father achieved worldwide fame for his television series “The Crocodile Hunter,” which aired for five seasons on the Discovery Channel between 1997 and 2002. On Sept. 4, 2006, he died after being pierced in the chest by a stingray while filming a scene for Bindi’s show, “Bindi, the Jungle Girl.”