“$500,000 to Wires Wildlife Rescue”- When Lewis Hamilton donated half a million after knowing billion animals died in Australian fires

Lewis Hamilton donated $500,000 to support fire and animal rescue services working in the Australian bushfire crisis.

Lewis Hamilton is one of the greatest drivers in the history of formula one. In his stellar career, he has won seven world championships, equalling Michael Schumacher’s record for most world titles.

Apart from his F1 achievements, Hamilton is also an active philanthropist. Both on the track and when he leaves his helmet in his Mercedes box; the seven-time world champion has always been an ardent activist.

Lewis Hamilton donates $500,000 to help fight deadly Australia bushfires

Fires had burned large areas of south-east Australia, killed 27 people, and destroyed over 2,000 dwellings. Hamilton is concerned about the fires’ terrible impact on wildlife as well as climate change’s ongoing effects.

The Brit, who is a vocal environmentalist, shared a video on social media showing a burned koala being cared for against a backdrop of smoke and fire.

“It saddens me deeply to know that over 1 billion animals in Australia died a painful death, no way out, not their fault,” the Mercedes driver commented.

“My love of animals is no secret and I can’t help but grieve for the defenceless animals thought to have died so far, pushing certain species closer to extinction.”

The 35-year-old encouraged his 14 million Instagram followers and 5.6 million Twitter followers to “join me in thinking about the impact we are having on our planet”.

Hamilton further said that he would be donating $500,000 to Wires Wildlife Rescue, WWF Australia and Rural Fire Services.

He didn’t specify whether the donation was in US dollars or Australian dollars in his post, but Mercedes confirmed it was the former.

To earn even more money, he claimed he would sign and raffle his race suit from the Australian Grand Prix.

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Lewis Hamilton ranks fifth on the giving list

The Giving List, which is part of the 2022 Sunday Times Rich List; reveals the individuals who have donated the given the largest sums to noble motivations or charitable organisations.

The Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton was ranked the fifth-most generous person in Britain after donating $24 Million to charity last year.

He also surpassed Some other famous personalities also present in this list like Liverpool’s Mo Salah and Rapper Stormzy.

Hamilton, the only black driver in Formula One history and a seven-time world champion, has donated to his Mission 44 charity. Which works to help under-represented communities obtain access to education and jobs.

He has donated 6.7 per cent of his $347 million net worth.

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