Alec Baldwin and Kids Hit the Zoo on Heels of 'Rust' Settlement

Alec Baldwin's gotta be breathing sighs of relief over settling the "Rust" wrongful death lawsuit, and his first stop after the announcement is the Bronx Zoo ... with most of his kids.

Alec's pulling major dad duty Wednesday ... getting in some QT at the world-famous zoo with 4 of his 7 children he shares with his wife, Hilaria. The family outing came within hours of the news breaking about his settlement of the lawsuit over Halyna Hutchins' shooting death on the movie set.

As we reported, Matthew Hutchins announced he's dropping the wrongful death suit against Alec, the producers and the production company ... saying they've reached terms.

What's more, Alec is going to complete filming his lead role, along with the OG cast, for the movie. Meanwhile, Matthew is now getting an Executive Producer deal on the project.

Matt said filming will resume in January 2023 ... "I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin). All of us believe Halyna's death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the  entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna's final work."

As you know, Halyna Hutchins was tragically shot and killed on set by Alec Baldwin last year.

The Santa Fe County D.A. is still investigating Halyna's death and says it's still possible Alec, along with a few others, could be prosecuted in the case.