Actress Hayden Panettiere, currently starring on the hit NBC series “Heroes,” will lead hundreds of participants in an aerial art event and rally to form a giant human pilot whale beside the message “VOTE,” in front of the U.S. Capitol building this Sunday, October 26 at 12:30pm.
The pilot whale — of which Hayden will be the eye — symbolizes the tens of thousands of whales and dolphins killed each year by Japanese fishermen. The event commemorates the one-year anniversary of Hayden’s actions in Taiji, Japan, where she paddled out with protestors on surfboards to protect a pod of pilot whales who had been captured by fishermen for slaughter and for sale to aquariums.

Hayden is passionate about protecting whales and dolphins. As a spokesperson for the Save the Whales Again! campaign, she has made repeated calls for the Bush administration to defend whales at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and take action against the whaling countries of Japan, Norway, and Iceland for their persistence in killing whales for commercial gain.

“I turned 18 last year and I’m going to make my first vote count,” says Hayden. “I am looking forward to my visit to Washington to talk to those who will be voting in the upcoming election, to stress the importance of knowing where the candidates stand on the issues that are most important to them, and to be sure that come November 4th, they will actually go out and vote to ensure that their voices are heard.”

The U.S. has historically been a world leader in protecting whales, but during the Bush administration, U.S. leadership on whale issues has significantly declined. Whales and dolphins face more threats today than ever before from climate change, ship strikes, entanglement in nets, overfishing, and chemical and noise pollution; yet Japan, Norway and Iceland continue to kill them in increasing numbers. William Hogarth, Ph.D., appointed by President Bush to head the U.S. delegation to the IWC, is now using his position as IWC Chairperson to host a series of closed-door meetings to negotiate a deal that could allow for an IWC-sanctioned resumption of commercial whaling.

“The fact the U.S. is leading this process is outrageous!” said Jeff Pantukhoff, president and founder of The Whaleman Foundation and executive director of the Save the Whales Again! campaign. “Recent polls show that over 75 percent of registered voters oppose whaling, and over two-thirds want our government to do something about it; yet to this point, the Bush administration has done little to stop the increasing slaughter and is now actively leading efforts that could result in a legalized return to commercial whaling.”

Over 25,000 great whales have been slaughtered for profit since the so-called ban on commercial whaling was instituted in 1986. “As current chair of the whaling commission, the United States must stand up to whaling countries and lead the world in conserving whales and their habitats,” said Susan Millward, executive director of the Animal Welfare Institute and co-founder of the Save the Whales Again! campaign. “This illustrates how vital it is for Americans to elect leaders whose views actually reflect the will of the people and who will translate that will into policy.”

Ms. Panettiere will also be appearing at American University on Saturday evening from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. to talk with students at an event sponsored by the university’s Women and Politics Institute.

Save the Whales Again! is a campaign of The Whaleman Foundation and the Animal Welfare Institute.

The Whaleman Foundation is a public non-profit oceanic research, conservation and production organization dedicated to preserving and protecting dolphins, whales and their habitats. The Washington D.C.-based Animal Welfare Institute began the Save the Whales campaign of the 1970s and 1980s and was founded in 1951 to reduce the sum total of pain and fear inflicted on animals by humans. Save the Whales Again! does not endorse a particular 2008 presidential candidate.