Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio will put his fame to work to raise global awareness about India’s dwindling number of tigers, an official says.
DiCaprio and India’s Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh met at a reception Friday in New York organised by the Coalition of Rainforest Nations, an inter-governmental organisation.
“The actor met the minister and has expressed his interest to play a crucial role in sensitising the global community to the cause of the Indian tiger,” a senior environment ministry said in New Delhi on Saturday.
“DiCaprio plans to come to India to be a part of the conservation efforts,” the official said.
India’s endangered tiger population has plummeted to 1350 — just over a third of the 3700 estimated to be alive in 2002.
Earlier this year, Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan joined a campaign to protect the tiger.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, alarmed by the dwindling number of tigers, set up two years ago a national wildlife crime prevention bureau, drawing experts from the police, environmental agencies and customs to end poaching.
The government has enlisted former soldiers to be part of a “tiger protection force” in state-run sanctuaries.