Fans notice heartbreaking detail in Bindi Irwin's family Christmas photo

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By Phoebe Egoroff

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It's almost Christmas, when most of us will be celebrating with our loved ones - and the Irwins are certainly no different.

The clan of wildlife conservationists appeared in a Christmas photo uploaded by Bindi Irwin and her husband Chandler Powell, and fans of the famous family noticed a tiny heartbreaking detail in the background of the image.

The parents-of-one took to their pug's Instagram to upload an image of themselves with their two pooches Stella and Piggy, captioning the image: "Getting into the Christmas spirit with [Bindi] and [Chandler]."

Liked by over 4,000 people, the sweet image had a heartbreaking detail in the background - which didn't go unnoticed.

Fans immediately spotted one of the framed images on a shelf behind the married couple, showing Bindi alongside her mom Terri, dad Steve, and brother Robert in 2006, not long before he tragically passed away.

The father-of-two had been filming a documentary called Ocean's Deadliest at Australia's Great Barrier Reef when he was fatally pierced in the heart by a stingray barb. He was just 44.

Bindi, 24, posted the image to her Twitter in 2015, captioning it with: "The last photo as a family, before I had to wave goodbye to my hero, for the last time. Dad, I love you."

Since his devastating passing, Australia joins the whole family in celebrating national Steve Irwin day on November 15. This year, both Robert, 19, and Bindi posted heartwarming tributes to their late father.

The eldest Irwin child posted a short clip of her father on Instagram, writing the caption: "Join us by wearing your best khaki and celebrating the greatest Wildlife Warrior the world has ever known."

In the clip, Steve can be heard saying: "Conservation is my whole life, my whole persona. What I want to be remembered for."

Likewise, Robert also paid tribute to his father, writing on Instagram underneath an image of himself and his father holding a small crocodile: "Today is Steve Irwin Day. It's a day to remember everything Dad was about - conservation, dedication, fun and family. It never ceases to amaze me what an impact Dad had on the world when I see people in every corner of the globe celebrating his life and legacy on this special day."

Many people took to the comments section to pay tribute, including Kath & Kim actress Magda Szubanksi who wrote: "Your dad was an utterly superb human. And his life force was so strong, so palpable, it's no surprise it lives on beyond his physical death. I will always treasure the time I had with him, your mum, Bindi and you. And my god! Did he love you kids!! Love you darling, Mags."

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Credit: Instagram.com

"'Bob Ross - Be kind to yourself. Mr. Rogers - be kind to your neighbor. Steve Irwin - Be kind to nature.' - the holy Trinity," another user added.

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Credit: Instagram.com
Featured image credit: Allstar Picture Library / Alamy