ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Leonardo DiCaprio won't let a plane scare get in the way of a good deed.
The 36-year-old actor has donated $1 million to the World Wildlife Fund to aid tiger conservation efforts, the group said Tuesday. He also managed to make it to this week's historic summit in Russia to save tigers from extinction, despite some flight drama.
On Sunday, DiCaprio was aboard a Moscow-bound Delta airlines flight that suffered an engine problem, forcing the plane to make an emergency landing at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport.
DiCaprio ended up taking a private jet to St. Petersburg, where joined heads of government from the 13 tiger range countries for the first-ever summit, hosted by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
The Hollywood star, a WWF board member, recently visited Nepal and Bhutan with WWF experts, touring tiger habitat on elephant back alongside antipoaching staff, meeting with community members, and learning how WWF scientists monitor the park's tigers.
DiCaprio's donation will help support antipoaching efforts and protect critical tiger forests where the needs are most urgent.
"Illegal poaching of tigers for their parts and massive habitat loss due to palm oil, timber and paper production are driving this species to extinction," said DiCaprio. "If we don't take action now, one of the most iconic animals on our planet could be gone in just a few decades. By saving tigers, we can also protect some of our last remaining ancient forests and improve the lives of indigenous communities."
Also see: Leonardo DiCaprio Photos
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