Leonardo DiCaprio praises Chester Zoo for bringing extinct fish ‘back from dead’

Leonardo DiCaprio has lauded Chester Zoo for their conservation works of bringing back a near-extinct species of fish ‘back from the dead.’

DiCaprio, 48, who has long been involved with environmental and conservation causes, took to his Instagram and applauded the efforts of those involved in the project.

According to the UK zoo, the golden skiffia have not been seen swimming in the Teuchitlan River, the only known home of the species, since the 1990s.

As part of this year’s Day of the Dead celebrations, a Chester Zoo team released more than 1,000 golden skiffia into the fish’s native range in Jalisco, central-western Mexico, following a conservation breeding program.

DiCaprio, who has spoken at key climate summits, including the signing of the Paris climate agreement in 2016, shared a post, which has garnered more than 282,000 likes.

The post featured a picture of a golden skiffia surrounded by colorful flowers and calaveras - the Mexican word for skulls - in reference to the Day of the Dead.

The Chester Zoo team were thrilled with his recognition, and replied to the post, saying, “Thank you for sharing this incredible story!”