A 4-year-old is being dubbed a “mini Steve Irwin” after taking the internet by storm by cuddling deadly pythons, chasing wild wombats and rescuing koalas.
Millions of people on TikTok have watched Ashlee Neille interact with many wildlife creatures at her family’s shelter in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia.
Her dad, Josh Neille, said she’s already fallen in love with every animal and is feeding them and cleaning their cages.
“Some people have dogs, but she has snakes, wombats, kangaroos and possums. She’s like a mini Steve Irwin,” the 34-year-old electrician told Kennedy News and Media.
“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,’” he joked.
The family’s TikTok account, @fezferretson, has amassed 376,300 followers and 15.9 million likes.
From the moment Ashlee was brought home from the maternity ward, Josh and his girlfriend of 10 years, Amber Moyes, introduced their daughter to their array of animals — claiming she was playing with snakes before she could even walk.
“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,” Josh explained. “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 nonvenomous, though.”
The family’s shelter first opened in 2013, and they have looked after 15 wombats since. The marsupials are watched over for 18 months until they are fit and well enough to be released back into the wild.
“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,” Josh said.
Videos show the little girl’s shocking relationship with the animals, including dragging a 9-foot-long python snake named Banjo into his cage, being chased by wombats and telling a koala to “be free” as she releases it into the wild.
“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,” Josh said.
“She’s a pretty popular, little country girl, considering she comes from a town with probably only 500 people.”
Ashlee can also be seen having “compassionate” exchanges with the wombats, cuddling and feeding them, which has TikTok users calling her a “wombat whisperer.”
“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,” Josh shared.
“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,” he added.
Josh said his daughter even accompanies him when he removes venomous snakes from people’s homes and rescues koalas.
“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,” he said of Ashlee. “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.”
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