Whether he’s tweeting about freeing a caged tiger or crusading for sled dogs, The Vampire Diaries’ Ian Somerhalder (Damon Salvatore) is a tireless advocate for the world’s furry creatures. His fans and Twitter followers aren’t the only ones who have noticed. The Humane Society will honor Ian on March 24 at their annual Genesis Awards with one of its most prestigious honors, The Wyler Award. Every year, the honor “is bestowed on a celebrity or public figure for raising awareness of animal issues via the media,” according to the press release.

In a statement, Ian said, “The tireless efforts of The Humane Society of the United States to protect animals around the world has always been an inspiration to me and I’m honored to be recognized with this year’s Wyler Award.” Sir Paul McCartney, Hayden Panettiere, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi, and Kristin Davis are all past recipients of the award.

According to HSUS senior director Beverly Kaskey, “Ian is the epitome of a new kind of advocate who leverages his fame and an array of media platforms to draw public attention to animal protection concerns and other issues that he cares deeply about.”

Congratulations again to Ian and his charity, the Ian Somerhalder Foundation, for their tireless efforts to save the earth’s animals. For more information on how you can help The Humane Society like Ian, check out their website.

via wetpaint

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