Fans went into a meltdown last week after wild, fake images featuring Robert Irwin and Canadian singer Shawn Mendes emerged.

The pair have been bizarrely romantically linked thanks to a slew of AI-generated posts and clickbait headlines suggesting they are secretly dating.

And while there’s no truth to the romance rumours, thousands of fans have been swooning over the unexpected pairing.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal that fans have begun handwriting letters and love notes to Australia Zoo, declaring their support for the fake relationship.

Sources close to the Irwin family say the volume of mail has noticeably increased in recent days, with many notes coming from fans within the LGBTQI+ community who have long embraced Robert, 21, as a heartthrob and ally.

Fans went into meltdown last week after wild fake images featuring Robert Irwin and Canadian singer Shawn Mendes emerged. Both pictured

It’s not hard to see why, as Robert recently underwent a major rebrand, emerging as a polished and confident media personality.

Between hosting I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, starring in a Bonds campaign, and preparing to appear on Dancing with the Stars US, the wildlife warrior has become an unexpected sex symbol.

Insiders insist Robert has taken the internet’s obsession in his stride, but many fans are curious about how his mother, Terri Irwin, is reacting to the viral sensation.

‘Terri is hands-on with everything,’ one industry insider said.

‘She’s incredibly protective of the Irwin image, and while she probably isn’t fazed by the queer speculation, what might frustrate her is the fact that it’s completely out of her control.’

In recent months, there’s been growing commentary around the Irwins becoming ‘Australia’s answer to the Kardashians’, with Terri playing the Kris Jenner-style role of overseeing every aspect of the family’s branding.

‘This AI relationship saga isn’t something the Irwins orchestrated,’ the insider added.

‘And knowing how carefully curated their public image usually is, it wouldn’t be surprising if there were a few quiet conversations happening behind the scenes.’

Daily Mail Australia can reveal that fans have begun handwriting letters and love notes to Australia Zoo, declaring their support for the fake relationship

Hopeful fans across TikTok and X have been busy concocting AI-generated memes and images showing the duo as a fake couple

Despite the oddity of it all, the overwhelming response from fans has been shockingly positive, with many expressing admiration for Robert’s openness, emotional intelligence, and relatability.

The strange pairing all started when the Treat You Better hitmaker teamed up with Robert and Oscar-winner, Javier Bardem, to promote the animated film Lyle, Lyle Crocodile back in 2022.

In the video, Robert quizzed the pair on crocodile trivia, sharing his passion for reptiles with his signature enthusiasm.

The clip, seemingly innocuous, was enough to send the internet into matchmaking mode.

The fake headline on the image reads: ‘He didn’t say a word, but one quiet gesture from Shawn Mendes to Robert Irwin is breaking the internet – and fans think it means everything’.

Another shows a collage of images – the first of Shawn bearing his torso as he reclines on a couch, coupled with another showing Shawn and Robert embracing, and a third of a smiling solo Robert.

The headline on the fake image reads: ‘Shawn Mendes and Robert Irwin just shared a moment so low-key, it broke the internet’.