See Bindi Irwin at 16! Her New Heartfelt Interview About Losing Her Dad

Conservationist Bindi Irwin doesn't believe that time heals all wounds.

For Bindi, who will turn 16 on July 24, losing her “Crocodile Hunter” dad Steve Irwin in a freak stingray accident in 2006 still hurts.

As this week's cover story for People, the teenager told the mag, "I remember after we lost Dad, so many adults came up to me and said, 'Honey, time heals all wounds.' That is the biggest lie you will ever hear. It doesn't."

She continued, "That kind of sadness never goes away. It's like losing a piece of your heart that you never get back."

With their family home within the gates of Australia Zoo in Queensland, the young woman says she and her mother, Terri, and brother Robert, 10, are moving forward as best they can.

"When you lose a loved one, you come to these crossroads," said Bindi. "You can take the path that leads you down the aisle of sadness, or you can say, 'I'm never going to let this person's memory die. I'm going to make sure everything they worked for continues.'"

The "Jungle Girl" has carried on with her father's work with animals. "Every day is a new journey for me, and I feel like in my lifetime, I've been blessed to experience such a lot."