Leonardo DiCaprio Raises $25 Million To Support Animal Rights At Gala Event

Leonardo DiCaprio seems to have set the precedent for stars using their star power for good. Recently, the 40-something star, and known environmentalist, threw a benefit gala to raise money for animal rights.

Leo threw said event in the French Riviera flanked by numerous A-list actors and industry entertainers. MailOnline released this exclusive quote directly from the man himself:

The wild species that depend on us to protect their habitat, like Tigers whose numbers have plummeted to under 3,200 left in the wild, or African elephants, who are being slaughtered at a rate of over 30,000 a year for their ivory tusks — they have no voice. We must be their ambassadors. We must be their protectors. We must stop their slaughter. We must now make an effort to protect the rich biodiversity that could allow nature to eventually recover. The good news is there are solutions to these massive problems. Efforts like tonight will start addressing them.

After giving a passionate speech about what prompted him to organize his foundation, which he started in 1998, DiCaprio opened a live auction and there were some pretty impressive goodies up for grabs. For example, Leo put his own Harley Davidson motorcycle, which was signed by Robert De Niro, Martin Scorcese, and himself, up for auction. Afterward, U2’s lead singer Bono would perform a duet with Julian Lennon and hand over his guitar to Leo to auction off, which brought in an impressive $1 million. The highest bid of the night went to Len Blavatnik, a businessman and philanthropist, who plunked down $6 million to buy a sculpture, Golden Myth, by Damien Hurst. Another bidder, spent $2.4 million for the chance to have a walk-on role in the next Leonardo DiCaprio film.

The Dodo reports that the guest list for the evening included Selena Gomez, Joan Collins, Petra Nemcova, Cara Delevingne, Jared Leto, Marion Cotillard, and Robin Thicke. Selena Gomez was recently in St. Tropez to celebrate her 22nd birthday with gal-pal Cara Delevingne, while other guests made a special trip to attend Leo’s star-studded gala. Leonardo’s girlfriend, model Toni Garrn was also in attendance for the exclusive evening.

By the end of the event, Leonardo would collect a whopping $25 million in donations, with which he intends to use toward environmental preservation and protecting wildlife in endangered areas.

Not a bad day at the office, if you ask me.

[Photo credit: Daily Mail/Got Celeb]