Leonardo DiCaprio Donates $3 Million to WWF to Save Nepal's Tigers

Leonardo DiCaprio has used his money for a good cause. The actor, through his Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, has awarded $3 million to World Wildlife Fund to support Nepal's attempt to protect and nurture tigers in the country.

"Time is running out for the world's remaining 3,200 tigers, largely the result of habitat destruction and escalating illegal poaching," WWF board member DiCaprio said in a statement. "WWF, the government of Nepal and local communities are on the front lines of this battle, and I am hopeful this grant will help them exceed the goal of doubling the number of these noble creatures in the wild."

The donation will be used to help achieve the goal to double the number of wild tigers by 2022, the next Chinese year of the tiger. With the money, park rangers at the 9,000-square-mile Terai Arc Landscape of Nepal will be able to "strengthen anti-poaching patrols, protect core areas for tiger breeding, restore critical corridors for their dispersal and expansion and continuously monitor tiger populations."

In May, DiCaprio raised $38.8 million through donations and an art auction at Christie's in New York. The grant to WWF is the first from the proceeds of the auction. The nature conservation organization said previous support from DiCaprio's foundation had helped boost the number of tigers in the Terai's Bardia National Park from an estimated 18 to 50 tigers.