Fresh off his big Oscar win for “The Revenant” and his trip to Hong Kong last week, Leonardo DiCaprio quietly visited Gunung Leuser National Park in Aceh on Sunday, along with fellow actors Adrien Brody (“The Pianist”, “Predators”) and Fisher Stevens (“Short Circuit 2”)
The trio flew to Gunung Leuser directly from Singapore to check out the wildlife around Ketambe Research Station . While meeting with researchers Leo and his buddies got to hang out with elephants, orangutans and other endangered species that live inside the protected park lands. According to the official Gunung Leuser website, Leo spent nearly two hours watching the orangutans.
DiCaprio and crew also got a warm welcome from local residents, including students from the local elementary school in Ketambe.
A well-known environmental activist, DiCaprio has taken up the cause of protecting Aceh’s natural resources, which are threatened by deforestation and palm oil production. In the tweet above, he linked to a Change.org petition, titled “Save The Leuser Ecosystem, Save Our Planet!”, addressed to President Joko Widodo and asking him to cancel a spatial plan which would put the area’s the North Aceh ecosystem in jeopardy.
Through the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, the actor actively supports conservation activities worldwide. In Indonesia, the foundation is supporting conservation efforts in Bukit Tigapuluh National Park and the forests of Aceh.
DiCaprio also recently reposted this Greenpeace photo on Instagram highlighting the destruction of rainforests in Sumatra for palm oil production.
