Leonardo DiCaprio Joins Effort to End Ivory Trade in Thailand

Actor is one of several celebrities who have signed a World Wildlife Fund petition

By Peter Gicas Feb 22, 2013 3:04 PMTags
Leonardo DiCaprioSara De Boer/startraksphoto.com

Leonardo DiCaprio is trying to tame what happens to wildlife. In particular, the elephants in Thailand.

The actor has signed a petition in hopes of getting Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to ban all ivory trade in the country.

"Illegal wildlife trade is the most urgent threat facing species like tigers, rhinos and elephants. These animals are being killed every day to feed an escalating demand for their body parts," DiCaprio wrote on his Facebook page. "Much of the ivory traade goes through Thailand. We can help save these beautiful animials. Join me and the World Wildlife Fund and tell Thailand to ban all sales of ivory."

The WWF is hoping to reach its goal of one million signatures before presenting the petition to Yingluck at an international trade convention being held in Bangkok on March 3, according to The Hollywood Reporter. So far, more than 400,000 people have signed the petition.

In addition to DiCaprio, other celebrities who have joined the initiative include Alyssa Milano, Ethan Suplee, Ian Somerhalder, Emily VanCamp and Josh Bowman.