If you know Ian Somerhalder from āLostā or more recently from āThe Vampire Diaries,ā you know already know that heās a seriously talented actor. But, did you also know that heās an avid environmentalist and a major animal lover? Born and raised in Louisiana, his love of animals and connection to nature began early as he observed the diversity of his own back yard. āBeing from a state like Louisiana, especially the Gulf Coast area, where itās an extremely delicate ecosystem, you also have a deeper understanding of wild animals and the environment because you realize how fragile that balance is.ā
For Ian, it was the disruption of that balance that took him from merely observing and appreciating nature and the animals within it to truly unleashing his inner Green Monster. After witnessing the devastation that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused to the environment and wildlife in his beloved Gulf, he was inspired to take action in the hopes of effecting real change. āI felt the most awful feeling of vulnerability and helplessness,āĀ He said of seeing the destruction the spill had caused.Ā āI never want to feel powerless again.ā
With that motivation, he started the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, an organization that tackles environmental issues and fights to end animal cruelty. With programs that deal with humane spay and neuter practices and projects in the works including an animal sanctuary for abused animals, he has poured his passion into helping animals and the world they live in. Heās proven that heās anything but powerless, and thanks to him, countless animals wonāt have to be either.
1. He loves rescue pets and currently has 6 dogs and 2 cats. āI literally wake up and thereās just fur everywhere, itās so awesome.ā
2. He also calls himself dadĀ to an adopted horse named Eagle that he shares with girlfriend Nikki Reed.
3. Believing strongly in the interconnectivity of all living things and our environment, he started The Ian Somerhalder FoundationĀ in 2010.
4.Ā Heās currently working on building the ISF Animal Sanctuary, which will teach compassion to children dealing with anger and bullying issues as they work alongside animals that have behavioral problems.
5. He testified before congress to end elephant poaching and urged a domestic ban on the cruel ivory trade.
6. He participated in the #MovetheUN campaign to get animal protection on the global agenda.
7. HisĀ TwitterĀ feed is filled with tweets about animals, activism and awareness, with a few tweets about āThe Vampire Diariesā mixed in here and there.
8. He helped deliver his rescue dog, Nietzscheās, puppies. He was so excited about it on social media that āGood Luck Nietzscheā started trending on Twitter!
9. A native of the Gulf Coast region, he took an active interest in the BP oil spill disasterās effect on wildlife, shooting PSAs for the local Humane Society and participating in the CNN telethon to raise funds for the cleanup.Ā
10. Having his own rescue animals isnāt the only way he supports shelters. He also has the ISF Emergency Medical Care Grant for Animals, which provides sorely needed financial assistance to qualifying shelters, rescues and rescuers.

Ā Lead image credit: styleandwisdom.com