Bindi Irwin is impressing audiences and judges as a competitor on Dancing With The Stars. In a recent interview, Bindi revealed that she had a very good reason for deciding to go on the show. 17-year-old Bindi is determined to honour her father by spreading his message – the importance of protecting animals and their habitats – through “different avenues”.

Bindi IrwinBindi Irwin leaving rehearsals for Dancing With the Stars Los Angeles, September 2015.

Read More: Steve Irwin's Daughter Bindi Irwin Is Competing On Dancing With The Stars.

Bindi’s father, Steve Irwin A.K.A. The Crocodile Hunter, died in 2006 from a stingray barb when Bindi was just eight years old. In a recent interview, Bindi paid tribute to her father and described how she is similar to him: “a human hurricane” who has inherited his passion for animals. 

“Dad always said ‘I don’t care if people remember me, I care if people remember my message,’” Bindi told ABC. “And so, as a family, that is what we’ve tried to focus on: standing up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

“I think I am able to use all these different avenues to spread my message and even if it’s just a couple of people along the way then I’ve done my job,” she continued. 

In a different interview with E!, Bindi also reiterated the same message and described her father as a “superhero”. She also expressed how excited she was to be on Dancing With the Stars, especially working with her dancing partner Derek Hough.

"I think for me, Dad will always be my superhero," Bindi said in the interview. "You know, everything I do in life is to make him proud and to carry on his legacy, and so I really am dedicating this entire [appearance on DWTS] - however long I'm able to make it - to him, to my family, to other people who are in a similar position.”

“You know, after you lose a person like that, you feel like the sun will never shine again, but it will, and it may not shine as brightly, but you have to find that light in everything that you do. I feel like this experience, getting to work with Derek and the beautiful people on this show, has really been such a bright place for me, and I'm excited to focus all of my energy on doing the best job possible."

This is not the first time Bindi has honoured her father since joining the show. A couple of weeks ago, as rehearsals for Dancing With the Stars began, Bindi posted a picture of her father on Instagram accompanied by a touching caption. Her post coincided with Father’s Day in her native Australia.

Read More: Bindi Irwin Remembers Her Late Father, Steve Irwin, In Moving Instagram Post.