Leonardo DiCaprio: Russians urge star to #SaveBaikal

By MiNDFOOD

Leonardo DiCaprio
Russian environmentalists have inundate the Instagram account of actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio with messages urging him to support the campaign to ‘Save our Baikal!’

Dozens of people have left comments on the movie star’s latest Instagram publication using the hashtag #SaveBaikal – a reference to the Save Baikal campaign to preserve the lake against pollution.

Lake Baikal, referred to as the Pearl of Siberia, is located in Russia close to the Mongolian border – it is a Unesco world heritage site.

It contains about 20 per cent of world’s fresh surface water, according to the World Wildlife Fund, and houses approximately 2,000 plant and animal species.

The lake is currently threatened by “pollution, poaching and development”, according to the WWF, which cites industrial pollution, mining activities, and agricultural runoff among the specific threats currently endangering Lake Baikal.

DiCaprio seems to have been targeted due to his history of environmentalism, as he regularly makes social media posts about climate change.

He founded the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in 1998, and believes that climate change is one of the biggest issues facing young people today.

The actor may also have been targeted because his grandmother was Russian.

“Let’s all write to Leonardo DiCaprio about Baikal’s problems,” one post read. “He’s a famous eco warrior and media personality.

“Compatriots, support the movement. Baikal is our everything.

“Comment on DiCaprio’s posts in Russian and English and don’t forget to include the hashtags Save Baikal (#спастибайкал) and Baikal is ours (#байкалнаш),” reads another of the many posts addressed to the actor.

DiCaprio is currently on a publicity drive for the highly anticipated Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, in which he stars alongside Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie, the campaigners have timed their blitz well to maximise attention.

Read more: A sit-down with the cast of ‘Once Upon a Time In Hollywood’

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