Australia Zoo’s general manager goes on the PR offensive live on Sunrise amid the Irwin family feud

Bindi and Terri Irwin’s right hand man Luke Reavley went on the PR offensive for the family on Monday, live on Sunrise. 

The general manager of Australia Zoo spoke to Sam Mac as he presented the weather from the zoo in Queensland.

At one point, Sam asked Luke to share some facts about the family fans may not know, when Luke had nothing but gushing comments to make amid the Irwin family rift that is making headlines around the world.

After saying that Robert Irwin, 17, is a keen surfer, he went on to say that Bindi, 22, was the ‘nicest person you’ll ever meet,’ while matriarch Terri, 56, is the ‘best boss.’

Luke has worked for Australia Zoo since the age of 15, with his first job being to take care of the koalas.   

‘Bindi is probably, genuinely, the nicest person you’ll ever meet,’ Luke said.

‘If you sneeze around her she’ll buy you flowers,’ he added with a laugh.

‘And Terri is probably the best boss you could ever ask for,’ he said.

‘She’ll never ask you to do something she wouldn’t do herself.’ 

It comes amid the Irwin family feud that is tearing the family apart.  

The Irwin family feud was blasted wide open last week, after Bindi claimed her grandfather Bob Snr had ‘ignored her’ since she was a little girl and ‘returned gifts’ the family had sent him.

The mother of one wrote on Facebook: ‘I really wish that my entire family could spend time with Grace. Unfortunately, my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family.’

She went on to claim that Bob had ‘returned gifts I’ve sent after he opened them’, and ignored any letters sent from her.

‘From the time I was a little girl he has ignored me, preferring to spend time doing anything else rather than being with me,’ she continued.

‘He has never said a single kind word to me personally. It breaks my heart.’

She went on to say that her mother Terri still writes to him and sends birthday cards and Christmas gifts, but claims they have received no reply. 

‘We have also been his financial support since 1992 when he retired from Australia Zoo, sending him funds every week,’ she added.

‘We built him a house on a beautiful property and will always do our best to ensure his wellbeing.

‘I hope everyone remembers to be kind to one another but most of all care for your own mental health.

‘I have struggled with this relationship my entire life and it brings me enormous pain.’

Bindi, who welcomed her daughter Grace in March, concluded by saying she had to ‘choose to care for her own mental health now’.

She later announced she was taking a break from social media after her Facebook comment made headlines globally. 

Meanwhile, an Irwin family friend has said Bob Snr is ‘deeply upset’ by his granddaughter Bindi’s claims he’s ‘ignored’ her since she was a child – leading those close to him to fear the rift may have tragic consequences.

Amanda French, who co-authored Bob’s 2016 autobiography The Last Crocodile Hunter, said that family members have tried to shield Bob, 82, from ‘the full extent’ of what Bindi, 22, has said about him.

But he’s nonetheless devastated and feels confused as to ‘where this all came from’.

Ms French told Seven’s The Latest: ‘Naturally Bob’s quite upset about it, and to be perfectly honest we haven’t told him the full extent of the comments because we’re quite concerned about how he might take that.’

She also claimed Bindi’s harsh Facebook comment about her grandfather was particularly unfair given how Bob has always maintained a dignified silence on the circumstances of his exit from Australia Zoo in 2008.

‘Bob’s always been quite neutral about the reason why he left the zoo and that’s something he’ll probably take to his grave,’ Ms French said.