Leonardo DiCaprio Helps Launch $2 Million Fund to Support Africa’s Virunga National Park

Leonardo DiCaprio has joined a campaign to support Africa’s oldest nature reserve after it came under a deadly attack last month.

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Virunga National Park is one of the most biologically diverse areas on the planet and home to the critically endangered mountain gorilla. Three weeks ago, twelve park rangers and their driver tragically lost their lives protecting civilians from an armed attack by a militia group. The future of Virunga hangs in the balance as it deals with the impacts of Ebola and COVID-19, and now this recent attack. Today, with the help of @EarthAlliance, @EmersonCollective and @Global_Wildlife_Conservation, along with support from @europeaid and @VirungaNationalPark, we announced the Virunga Fund, with $2 million in seed funding. If you can, please join me in supporting the fund today. Please see the link in my bio.

A post shared by Leonardo DiCaprio (@leonardodicaprio) on May 18, 2020 at 7:57am PDT

Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a popular tourist attraction and is known for its endangered mountain gorilla population.

In April, 12 rangers at the park were killed in an ambush by a suspected Rwandan rebel group.

DiCaprio has now contributed to a new fund which aims to support the park.

Earth Alliance, a group co-founded by the actor, has donated part of the initial $2m (£1.65m) funding, although it is not clear exactly how much.

“I had the great honour of meeting and supporting Virunga’s courageous team in their fight against illegal oil drilling in 2013,” DiCaprio said in a statement to BBC News.

The actor was an executive producer on the documentary Virunga, which was nominated for an Oscar in 2014.

“Virunga urgently needs funds to protect the endangered mountain gorilla population, to provide support to the rangers and the families of rangers who have fallen in the line of duty, and to help deliver essential disease prevention efforts,” he said.

“It’s critical that we rally together during this time of incredible crisis.”