Hayden Panettiere has got a lot more going on than just her on-screen role in
Heroes. This gorgeous surfer girl is a real-life off-screen hero as well. The 18-year-old is a loud-and-proud spokeswoman for the Save the Whales Again campaign, and has been using her star status to focus our attention on the horrendous whaling and dolphin hunting industry. Hayden is a self-professed "huge animal lover" and says that she "just doesn't trust people who don't love animals!"
"Because I am in the public eye I feel the need to be a voice of worthy and important causes whose efforts impact the lives of every person on Earth. These animals are being brutally and unnecessarily slaughtered — and who are we to say to they have less of a right to exist than we do", Hayden explains.
But Hayden doesn't just talk the talk, oh no, she can definitely walk the walk! She's risked jail time by paddling out to confront Japanese fishermen head on. A warrant was issued in 2007 in Japan for Hayden's arrest following the incident, and she told E! News: "I was wearing a wetsuit and shoes. I was like, if I'm going to jail I ain't going to jail in a bikini."
But it's going to take more than that to stop her. "At one point this baby [dolphin] popped its head up and looked at me. To know what was going to happen and to know that I couldn't stop it is just such a helpless feeling."
At a rally against whaling in Washington DC in 2008 Hayden got political about the United States' lack of action on the whaling front. "We're not taking a stand because Japan is one of our biggest allies in the war on terror," Hayden said. "But Australia is an ally and they've told Japan what they think, and good on them!"
You go girl, we're with you all the way.
It's Hayden's dream to put an end to illegal whaling around the world, and she has even hosted a closet auction to raise cash for the cause. "Cleaning out my closet is just the beginning; and putting my stuff up for sale is the first step in a crusade that will go a long way to helping these majestic mammals," she said.
So if you feel as passionately as Hayden does, and want to make a difference, there is a lot you can do to help (even if you're not on TV!). You can visit her website, http://www.panettierecloset.com/ to find more about whaling, Hayden's rallies and how to donate to the cause. Hayden's a real-life hero for the whales, and you can be too!
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Are you as passionate about anti-whaling as Hayden? Tell us about it by leaving a comment below.
