Girl, 4, is dubbed the ‘mini Steve Irwin’ after shooting to stardom on TikTok for cuddling deadly pythons, chasing wild wombats and rescuing koalas
- Ashlee Neille, from Victoria, Australia, has been dubbed the ‘mini Steve Irwin’
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An Australian four-year-old has been dubbed the ‘mini Steve Irwin’ after shooting to internet stardom by cuddling deadly pythons, chasing wild wombats and rescuing koalas.
Ashlee Neille, from Victoria, has earned tens of millions of TikTok views for her ‘compassionate’ interactions with wildlife at her parents’ shelter in Gippsland.
Startling footage shows the young girl dragging one of their nine-foot-long pythons, Banjo, back into his cage while other adorable clips show her being chased by wombats.
Others show her cuddling and feeding her rescue wombat pals and even shouting ‘be free’ as she helps release a rescue koala back into the wild.
TikTokers have nicknamed her the ‘wombat whisperer’ while dad Josh Neille believes she’s the ‘mini Steve Irwin’ and could be heading for TV stardom like ‘The Crocodile Hunter’.
Ashlee Neille, from Victoria, Australia, has been dubbed the ‘mini Steve Irwin’ after shooting to internet stardom by cuddling deadly pythons, chasing wild wombats and rescuing koalas
The 34-year-old said his tot has fallen in love with all the animals she’s already feeding them and cleaning their cages.
Josh said: ‘Some people have dogs, but she has snakes, wombats, kangaroos and possums. She’s like a mini Steve Irwin.
‘She just talks to them and they seem to love her. She says ”he said he loves me” and I think ”oh yeah, I’m sure that’s what he says”.
‘She’s good with all the animals. A lot of kids come out and they’re like ”oh my god, a snake” but she’s happy around them.
‘Calling her the wombat whisperer is a pretty cute little analogy. She runs around with them, gives them exercise and gives them comfort. They enjoy it.
‘She’s always been pretty gentle with them. She doesn’t have any siblings and we live pretty remotely, so during the day that’s her thing – the wildlife.
‘As soon as Ashlee rolled into the house she was introduced to the animals. We’re around them so much it’s just like having your dogs in the house.
‘She was dragging the big snakes up the hallway and putting them back into the cage when she was still in a nappy. They’re non-venomous though.
Startling footage shows the young girl dragging one of their nine-foot-long python snakes, Banjo, back into his cage
Ashlee has earned tens of millions of TikTok views for her ‘compassionate’ interactions with wildlife at her parents’ shelter in Gippsland
The young girl has been dragging the big snakes up the hallway to put them back into their cages since she was in a nappy
The snakes are non-venomous so the tot isn’t in any danger while holding them
Footage from before Ashlee could even walk shows her playing with snakes
Ashlee doesn’t have any siblings and the family live remotely, so during the day she plays with the wildlife (pictured with her mother Amber Moyes)
‘She’s definitely not as rough as I was as a little boy. She’s a very compassionate little girl. She has a lot of care in there.
‘I hope she’s always this close to the animals and that she’ll do something related. Even as a vet or something in the media maybe.
‘She’s a pretty popular little country girl considering she comes from a town with probably only 500 people.
‘We take in wildlife for rehabilitation then release them in the wild and Ashlee understands that these animals belong in the bush, even at her young age.’
Electrician Josh and girlfriend of ten years Amber Moyes introduced their daughter to their animals from the moment she arrived home from the maternity ward.
Footage from before Ashlee could even walk shows her playing with snakes.
Others show her cuddling and feeding her rescue wombat pals and even shouting ‘be free’ as she helps release a rescue koala back into the wild (pictured with mother Amber Moyes)
Ashlee helps to nurse adorable kangaroo’s back to full health before they are released into the wild
Dad Josh Neille (left) believes she’s the ‘mini Steve Irwin’ and could be heading for TV stardom like ‘The Crocodile Hunter’
Josh said his tot has fallen in love with all the animals she’s already feeding them and cleaning their cages
Little Ashlee was introduced to animals from a young age at her parents animal shelter in Gippsland
The family’s TikTok account has almost 400,000 followers and has more than 15 million likes with many rushing to the comments to praise the compassionate little girl
The family’s shelter has looked after more than 15 wombats since the shelter opened in 2013 and they care for them for 18 months until they’re fit enough to be released back into the wild.
Josh says Ashlee even joins her when he rescues koalas and removes venomous snakes from people’s homes.
The family’s TikTok account has almost 400,000 followers and has more than 15 million likes.
One user commented: ‘The wombat whisperer!’
A second said: ‘I feel like it helps the animals to calm down so much seeing your daughter. Like they know they’re safe now.’
A third added: ‘What is it with this little lady and wombats? They all just adore her to pieces!! [crying emoji, heart emoji].’
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