Terri Irwin Reveals Why Daughter Bindi Missed Family Gala for Second Year in a Row

Bindi Irwin wasn’t walking the red carpet at this year’s Steve Irwin Gala in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 2. She was back home in Australia.

Mom Terri Irwin and brother Robert Irwin, however, were front and center at the 3rd annual event, which celebrated the legacy of late Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin at the Bellagio.

As Globe previously reported, last year the wildlife conservationist, 27 — who revealed in 2023 that she was diagnosed with endometriosis — also missed the family’s signature charity event.

According to Bindi’s family, her body isn’t ready for the demands of long-haul travel just yet.

“Bindi is doing so much better now,” Terri, 61, told E! News at the event. “So, things like a lot of travel are a bit challenging for her at the moment, and so she’ll be here next year to celebrate this wonderful night.”

The mother of one — who shares daughter Grace Warrior, 5, with husband Chandler Powell — has been open about her grueling experience with endometriosis, revealing in a March 30 Instagram post that she spent a decade undiagnosed and has had 50 lesions surgically removed over the past three years. She described the experience as “inescapable pain” and said doctors initially dismissed her symptoms as simply “part of being a woman.”

But staying home doesn’t necessarily mean slowing down. Terri noted that her daughter is busy with conservation work at Australia Zoo, which spans roughly 500,000 acres and employs a team of 500. “Ironically, it’s less taxing for her to be home feeding crocodiles,” Terri told E! News.

Robert, 22, who won Dancing With the Stars in 2025, echoed that sentiment to the outlet. “Someone’s got to hold down the fort,” he said. “So, Bindi’s doing a great job at that.”

The gala, which funds Wildlife Warriors — the conservation charity Steve and Terri founded in 2002 — remains a cornerstone of the Irwin family’s mission.

Steve died in September 2006 at age 44 after being pierced in the chest by a short-tail stingray barb.

Robert told E! News, “Dad’s legacy’s never been more important because we all know there are big issues that face the planet.”