Russian authorities plan to free captive whales after pressure from Leonardo DiCaprio

Environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio has been credited with helping to free a number of whales held captive in Russia.

According to The Mirror, authorities have ordered that 100 belugas and orcas be released after a petition shared by the star received more than one million signatures. His Twitter post on the topic was retweeted more than 14,000 times, and liked by 31,000 people.

While the animals have not yet been freed, in part due to ongoing debate around release risks, Ecology Minister Dmitry Kobylkin has stated that plans are in the works.

DiCaprio has since Tweeted: “Thank you to everyone who signed the petition. Let’s keep up the momentum and ensure that these whales are released back into the wild where they belong.”

All this and Rose couldn’t even be bothered to make a little room on that stupid door raft.

Header image source: Facebook

Body image source: Tory Kallman/Shutterstock.com