one green planet
one green planet

We all know Leonardo DiCaprio as the star actor from “Titanic,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “The Great Gatsby,” and “The Wolf on Wall Street,” but the A-lister is just as keen on advancing animal and environmental protection initiatives in addition to his acting career. Just what we like to see!

In 1998, DiCaprio started up the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which has since been dedicated to “protecting the Earth’s last wild places and fostering a harmonious relationship between humanity and the natural world,” according to the organization’s website.

The foundation works to provide grants for conservation projects that will help protect tigers and sharks from extinction and save the world’s oceans and rainforests, along with helping to advance other key campaigns.

Just within the past year, DiCaprio’s foundation has donated a whopping $6 million to conservation campaigns — $3 million of which went to the WWF tiger conservation program in Nepal with the other $3 million grant heading to Oceana to help save the oceans and marine animals from unsustainable fishing methods.

Now, DiCaprio is at it again (woohoo!) and has stepped up to donate $1 million to the Elephant Crisis Fund.

According to the Wildlife Conservation Network, the grant “will be sued to save elephants from the current ivory poaching crisis by funding on-the-ground projects that stop poaching, trafficking and the demand for ivory.”

This funding is critical as the poaching continues unabated in African countries, killing nearly 100 elephants per day. The demand for ivory in Asian nations and communities around the world (even in the U.S.) directly contributes to this cruel slaughter.

“Elephant poaching is a brutal crisis, with more than 30,000 elephants killed last year alone,” said DiCaprio. “The decimation of these animals is something we have the power to stop, and the Elephant Crisis Fund is a crucial part of the solution. I am honored to support them.”

Go, DiCaprio!

Image source: via Sizziling Superstars