Following in Dad’s steps
NEW YORK — Bubbly 8-year-old Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late “Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, will make her debut this summer as a nature-loving TV host.

“Bindi: The Jungle Girl,” designed to help get more children interested in wildlife conservation, premieres June 9 on the Discovery Kids Channel.

Bindi will interact with a variety of animals, from koalas to elephants and snakes, while explaining how all animals — both cute and not-so-cute — need to be given respect and protection, the network said Tuesday. She began filming with her father in early 2006.

Steve Irwin died last September after a stingray’s poisonous barb pierced his chest while he was diving in the Great Barrier Reef. His wife, Terri, and Bindi, decided to finish filming the weekly series, the network said.

Steve Irwin will appear in scenes shot before his death and in other archival footage.