Ian Somerhalder plays the lead character of Damon in "The Vampire Diaries" TV show. (Photo : Facebook/ The Vampire Diaries)
"The Vampire Diaries" star Ian Somerhalder has made it his mission to save elephants in Africa.
While speaking with CNN, the actor explained while he was drawn to take on his newest mission to save the lives of elephants in particular.
"I was staying in Zimbabwe in the bush at this incredible conservation institute. Every morning I got to wake up and have my coffee with a young, orphaned elephant named Dojiwae. Both of her parents were killed by poachers unfortunately," he said.
After his encounter with Dojiwae, Somerhalder said that he wanted to make sure that elephant poaching and ivory trade will come to an end.
"If people had the ability to make that connection, the physical connection of this beautiful intelligent animal... I think people would really feel differently about when they think about taking this tusk and what it means to kill these beautiful animals," he continued.
With this, the actor is urging buyers of ivory jewelry to stop purchasing the product because they might not be aware that this is made from the elephant's tusk.
"They don't realize that that little piece of ivory on their bracelet or their necklace, that it came from an elephant. So, it's about starting to question everything. Question where these things come from, why they're even there and join the conversation," he said.
Meanwhile, Somerhalder recently faced a backlash after he was spotted riding an elephant despite his efforts to promote treating the animals better.
According to Wonderwall, Somerhalder shared a photo of himself riding an elephant on his social media account.
Unfortunately, Somerhalder may still not be aware that The Humane Society and PETA have already encouraged people to stop riding on the backs of elephants because it can harm the animal's form.
Just this month, the World Animal Protection also announced the cancellation of elephant shows and activities in at least 114 major travel firms across the globe.
However, it is important to note that photo of Somerhalder that once again surfaced online recently was taken during his 2013 trip to Zimbabwe.
Somerhalder currently stars on "The Vampire Diaries" season 7 on The CW.
