My family has been regular viewers of Discovery Kids ever since our cable provider offered that channel to subscribers several years ago. I continue to learn a lot, too, from the shows my kids usually watch. One of our favorites was Bindi The Jungle Girl which features a cute, little tot who really knows what she's talking about when it comes to taking care of animals.
Bindi, who has grown up to be a beautiful teenager, is now Australia's favorite wildlife conservationist. The daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, she has nurtured her father's legacy well. Last Wednesday, I had a chance to meet this impressive young lady along with her mom Terri and her brother Robert, who are also passionate animal lovers.
The Irwins visited Ark Avilon Zoo in Manila to launch a co-branded wildlife conservation initiative between Discovery Kids and Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors (AZWW). They encouraged Filipino kids to follow in Bindi's footsteps by getting involved in protecting local wildlife and the environment.
Titled Discovery Kids and Wildlife Warriors, the call-to-action initiative is an extension of AZWW, a charity founded by the family in 2002 to involve people in supporting the protection of injured, threatened, or endangered wildlife. Kids and their parents are urged to learn more about this advocacy by signing up at www.dkids.asia.
During the press conference, Bindi talked about how committed she and her brother are in continuing what Steve and Terri started many years ago. The very articulate 14-year-old shared to media guests what it takes to be a young Wildlife Warrior and shared stories about growing up at the Australia Zoo which was established by her parents in the 1990's.
It was very refreshing to watch the family animatedly talk about their adventures on taking care of animals and provide tips to the kids in the audience how they, too, can make a difference for the environment. While they are there, Ark Avilon gave them the honor of naming two prominent animals of the zoo. Bindi christened a 3-year-old Philippine Crocodile as "Warrior" while 9-year-old Robert named a Gray Monitor Lizard or Butaan, after his sister Bindi.
Terri, who expressed her excitement of finally getting to see a Philippine Crocodile up close exclaimed that it is "the most exciting thing!" in her life but was quick to tell her kids, "next to having you guys!" which made us all laugh. Their genuine delight at being with the zoo's residents was contagious. Everyone was smiling as we watched the family handle the animals with gentleness and respect.
The Irwins' visit to the Philippines was part of an Asian tour to promote two Discovery Kids programs:
BINDI’S BOOTCAMP: REBOOT hosted by Bindi, currently airs on Discovery Kids (SKYCable Channel 120 and CableLink Channel 23), every Monday at 10.30 am with encores the same day at 4.30 pm and 8.00 pm respectively.
STEVE IRWIN’S WILDLIFE WARRIORS showcases the Australia Zoo crew in action including appearances from Bindi, Robert and Terri – premieres every weekday at 8:00 p.m. beginning 10 July.
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| My son and I with the Irwins |
As a parent, I highly recommend fellow moms and dads to have their children watch Discovery Kids over any other channel because it offers a combination of educational and entertainment content not only to school age kids but also for adults who don't get tired of learning new things.
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