Hayden Panettiere will be remembered for many things. Her acting career, of course, but also her strength and vulnerability in speaking out about serious issues, including postpartum depression, grief, and addiction. Beyond Hollywood, Panettiere was also a passionate advocate for animal rights. A huge animal lover, she once said in an interview that if she wasn’t acting, she would have loved to dedicate her life to working with animals.
Here, we take a closer look at the many ways Panettiere stood up for animals during her life. From confronting dolphin hunters in Japan to rescuing trapped, scared kittens to campaigning against marine animal captivity just weeks before her death.
The Whaleman Foundation
1 She confronted dolphin hunters in Taiji
Panettiere undeniably had a soft spot for marine animals, even putting her own safety on the line to advocate for their protection. As seen in clips from the Academy Award-winning 2009 documentary The Cove, she once paddled out on a surfboard into blood-filled waters in Japan in an attempt to stop an active dolphin hunt.
Every year in the coastal town of Taiji, hundreds of dolphins are slaughtered for their meat or captured and sold into captivity. In 2007, 18-year-old Panettiere worked with a group of conservationists and activists to peacefully protest the practice, but things turned dangerous when angry fishermen began to force the group back with poles and spinning propellers.
But Panettiere persisted. She even later returned to Japan with Jeff Pantukhoff, founder of marine conservation nonprofit The Whaleman Foundation, to continue advocating for an end to the annual hunt.
In a diary entry after the trip, Panettiere wrote: “I think a lot of people assume that I hate Japan, or would want to boycott Japanese products because of my issues with their dolphin hunting policies. But really, nothing could be further from the truth. It’s a beautiful place—the people there have such an intense appreciation for nature.”
“I think the media likes to paint a picture of West vs. East—Us versus Them. But I think we all have more in common than that,” she continued. “I wanted to take this trip to reach out to people in Japan that feel the same way. You see, the majority of people living there don’t know about the dolphin hunts, and would never condone them if they did.”
Pexels
2 She used politics to advocate for marine animals
Panettiere’s fight to protect ocean animals didn’t end in Japan. The actor also advocated for dolphins and whales in the US and was passionate about helping them through any means necessary.
In 2008, she started lobbying DC shadow senator Paul Strauss for his support on a bill to protect marine mammals, and they ended up forming a political alliance. In return for his vote in favor of the bill, Panettiere agreed to support Strauss’ battle for DC statehood. “She’s like, ‘Whales can’t vote. They need someone to be able to vote for them,’” Strauss said, per City Cast DC. “And I was like, ‘Well, look—if you’re talking about mammals who can’t vote, I got 700,000 of them here.’”
Interestingly, Panettiere became a vocal and respected advocate for DC statehood, despite having no history in the region. In 2011, then-Mayor Vincent Gray even declared Hayden Panettiere Day on September 16 in thanks for her support.
Her political involvement in marine animal causes continued. In 2015, she co-signed legal documents, alongside fellow activists including Kim Basinger and Jane Goodall, supporting the National Marine Fisheries Service’s decision to deny the Georgia Aquarium a permit to import 18 beluga whales from Russia.
Four years later, in 2019, she again joined multiple celebrities and activists in signing a letter urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to release 10 orcas and more than 80 beluga whales from sea pens in Srednyaya Bay, near the east coast city of Nakhodka. Later that year, the animals were freed.
Pexels
3 She stood up for frightened birds on set
In 2009, Panettiere was busy with her day job: playing indestructible cheerleader Claire Bennet on the hit NBC sci-fi series Heroes.
Showing her compassion for all creatures, not just ocean-dwelling ones, she once interrupted filming to reprimand a crew member for frightening some birds. The person had been attempting to scare the noisy birds away from the set by blasting them with air from a leaf blower.
“What are you doing?,” she reportedly said. “How would you like someone to blow that thing inside your house?” In the end, the scene was moved to a different location.
Animal Fair
4 She gave rescue dogs and stray cats a home
Panettiere adopted multiple dogs from rescue shelters throughout her life, including Ka’ala, Penny Lane, Madison, Zander, and Xena. When she was younger, her family also provided a home to three stray cats, named Rolley, Jam, and Marmalade, one of which Panettiere actually rescued herself.
Speaking to Animal Fair when she was 17, Panettiere recalled: “Rolley, actually, I pulled out from behind the dryer at the Oakwood Apartments years ago, on my mom’s birthday. This tiny little kitten had gotten its foot stuck, and its mom had abandoned it, so I pulled him out and took him home. And he was dirty, and I’m sort of allergic to cats, but I still love them, so I suffered through it.”
PETA
5 She campaigned relentlessly against marine animal captivity
Panettiere never stopped campaigning for her beloved marine animals. Shortly before her death in August 2026, she had been working on a campaign with the animal-rights organization PETA protesting marine animal captivity.
In the campaign, released posthumously, Panettiere is pictured in a bathtub, alongside the text: “Could you live in a bathtub? Say no to marine parks. End cruel captivity.”
In an accompanying PSA, she asks viewers to imagine spending their entire lives in a bathtub, comparing the experience to dolphins and whales confined to small tanks at marine amusement parks.
“In their ocean homes, dolphins swim up to 60 miles a day,” she continues. “Free to be with family and other pod members. They can dive deep, escape the hot sun, and enjoy the rain on their back. All of that is taken from them when they’re confined to small tanks.”
“Can you imagine their frustration? Their trauma? Their depression? All that’s important and crucial for their well-being is ripped away. They swim in endless circles; day after day, year after year in front of gawking, screaming spectators, often being poked and prodded.”
“Vow today to never go to a marine park that keeps dolphins in extreme captivity,” she concludes. “Together, we can end this cruelty.”
For more plant-based stories like this, read:
JUMP TO ... Latest News | Recipes | Guides | Health | Subscribe
Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
