Talk about a top cat.
In an almost unfortunate mash-up, Aviator star Leonardo DiCaprio was close to seeing an end as disasterous as Jack Dawson's in Titanic while trying to deliver a $1 million check to the world's dwindling tiger population.
The three-time Oscar-nominated actor was among 193 passengers and 11 crew members aboard a Moscow-bound Delta flight when its engine flamed out in the clouds above New York City. Undaunted by his near-miss, DiCaprio headed to World Wildlife Fund's "tiger summit" on a chartered flight, which also nearly fell out of the sky.
A day late and two diverted flights later, DiCaprio met with representatives from 13 countries in Moscow and forked over his generous gift. Honoring Leo's persistence, macho man Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, the summit's host, called the screen star a nastoyachshi muzhik, which loosely translates to "real man" in rustic Russian.
Putin got it half right; DiCaprio's a superman when it comes to the iconic species.
Money raised by DiCaprio and WWF will fund anti-poaching efforts and habitat protection in areas of Asia designated as the most viable for supporting tiger populations. The dough will also bankroll advocacy and outreach projects designed to raise awareness for tiger conservation.
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