Robert Irwin has made an “exciting announcement” as Australia Zoo takes a very modern approach to fundraising.
The 18-year-old told Sunrise that the zoo was launching its first ever collectible NFT (non-fungible token) artwork series to support conservation and sustainability efforts.
Watch Robert speak to Kochie and Nat in the video above
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The first, called Warrior Croc, is a saltwater crocodile inspired by Robert’s father, the late Steve Irwin, who was nicknamed “The Crocodile Hunter” for his love and passion for the iconic species.
“I never thought we would be at the forefront of NFTs but here we are, it’s an exciting time,” Robert told David Koch and Natalie Barr.
“I’m so passionate about wildlife conservation, so any way we can support that we welcome with open arms.”
Made in partnership with tech start-up Meadow Labs, there are 2000 unique Warrior Croc NFTs up for grabs that can be sold and traded by those who buy them.
The artwork is the first from Australia Zoo’s five-part animal collectible series, with the fifth available only to buyers who hold one NFT from the other four.
Meadow Labs CEO Martin Kelly explained on Sunrise that NFTs were like physical collector’s items, only digital.
“There are so many things you can do with them: you can print them out, hang them on the wall, look at them on your computer,” he explained.
“It’s a bit of like a badge of honour to show that you’re supporting the great work of conservation at Australia Zoo.”
Robert admitted that it did take his mother Terri some time to get her head around what exactly NFTs are, joking that it was a “steep learning curve”.
“I can’t say she totally understood NFTs going into this, but we’ve definitely learnt quite a lot,” he said.
“This is the way of the…
