Bob vs Bindi feud: Inside the private Facebook group for Bob Irwin's supporters

Supporters of embattled Australia Zoo founder Bob Irwin Snr are rallying behind the family patriarch amid his feud with daughter-in-law Terri and granddaughter Bindi.

Friends, including former Australia Zoo staff, have created a secret Facebook group called 'Bob's Army' to counter the narrative that Bob, 82, is a 'crazy old fool' who only fell out with his grandchildren because of his stubbornness.

They are using the group to share positive stories about Bob, who was this week accused by his granddaughter Bindi, 22, of 'ignoring' her since she was a child.

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'Bob's Army' was set up by former Australia Zoo bird and crocodile keeper Brett Mostyn, 54, who told The Daily Telegraph: 'The reason we came together and made some noise is that we heard the grandkids thought Bob was a crazy old fool.

'He is one of the best grandfathers someone could wish for. We just want them [Bindi and Robert Jnr] to see that their grandfather is one very beautiful man.'

Brian Coulter, the late Steve Irwin's head 'croc keeper', also said Bob Snr was a father figure to many, and was always willing to mentor young staff at the zoo.

'Bob was always like a father figure. He took us under his wing and mentored us and I have nothing but the utmost respect for him and the way he treated us and shared his knowledge,' added Coulter, who was with Steve when he was killed by a stingray barb in Far North Queensland in 2006.

Since the Facebook group was founded, there have been 'hundreds of comments' posted in support of Bob Snr, reports The Daily Telegraph.

One woman, who worked at Australia Zoo for six years, was particularly upset by Bindi's claim her grandfather had 'never said a kind word' to her.

She described Bob as a 'kind, generous, honesty and gentle man,' adding: 'I have never heard a bad word come out of his mouth.'

The Irwin family feud began 13 years ago when Bob Snr quit Australia Zoo because he was concerned the wildlife park he'd founded in 1970 was becoming a 'circus'.

The story of Bob's controversial departure from the family business resurfaced this week after he was fiercely criticised by his granddaughter Bindi, who accused him in a Facebook post on Sunday of 'ignoring' her since she was child.

Various reports from the time of Bob's exit from Australia Zoo claim he was worried the Sunshine Coast tourist attraction was becoming 'too commercial' - and even feared a then nine-year-old Bindi was being pushed into child stardom.

When Bob left the zoo for good in 2008 - two years after the death of his famous son, Steve 'The Crocodile Hunter' Irwin - his daughter-in-law Terri was said to be planning a five-year expansion 'to make it Australia's peak tourist destination with a Disneyland feel'.

This plan apparently didn't sit well with Bob, who felt Australia Zoo should focus on conservation instead of following a commercial path and becoming a 'circus'.

By his own admission, Bob felt he'd become an unwelcome presence at Australia Zoo as the business grew into a major attraction aimed at American tourists.

'It's a strange feeling to spend half your lifetime building something up and walking away from it,' he told ABC's Australian Story in April 2008.

'I was becoming a disrupting influence, not that I meant to be.'

Tellingly, when he resigned from the family business in 2008, he made no reference in his farewell statement to his daughter-in-law. 

He also said he wanted to 'continue Steve's dream' of wildlife conservation at his own reserve in Kingaroy - with the implication being Terri's new vision for Australia Zoo wasn't what his son would have wanted.