Leonardo DiCaprio used his unparalleled charm and passion to encourage the Mexican president to save the critically endangered vaquita porpoise, of which there are only about 30 left on Earth.
The guy is an incredible actor, launched a foundation devoted to promoting environmental awareness, chaired Earth Day, executive produced Cowspiracy, and has donated millions of pounds to charity.
Now he’s saving one of the most endangered marine creatures in the world…can he do no wrong?
The vaquita, which is known as the panda of the sea due to its dark eye rings, was only discovered in 1958, and little over half a century later, they are in imminent danger of extinction.
The World Wildlife Fund launched a campaign asking Mexican President Peña Nieto to take immediate action to ‘secure the long-term protection of the Gulf of California World Heritage site’.
Leo wrote:
The vaquita is the most endangered marine mammal in the world. Join me and take action.
In a promising series of tweets, Peña Nieto replied:
I welcome Leo DiCaprio and WWF’s concern regarding the Vaquita Marina.
Mexico has focused all its efforts to prevent the extinction of this species.
Mexico’s Navy has more than 300 marines, 15 boats and unmanned aircraft systems watching over this area.
Our government has also extended the protection zone to a surface three times larger than the original.
The vaquita is only found in the northern part of the Gulf of California and is the rarest indigenous species of porpoise since the baiji went extinct in 2006.
The vaquita’s looming extinction is largely due to it being caught unintentionally (bycatch) by illegal gillnet fishing for totoaba fish.
Despite there being a ban on totoaba nets, poachers are keen to keep trying to fish them because their bladders contain ‘aquatic cocaine’, a substance that is prized across Asia, especially China, for medicinal properties and sells for thousands of dollars.
The Mexican government is apparently ‘making a major effort, doing what should have been done decades ago to save the Vaquita Marina’.
Scientist have proposed a plan to capture and breed vaquitas in an attempt to save them, but they are so rare that no one has ever caught a vaquita alive.
Click here to stop this creature being collateral damage of human carelessness.
