Weeks before her death at 36, Hayden Panettiere participated in a PETA campaign protesting the captivity of marine life, particularly focusing on facilities like SeaWorld. The advocacy work, captured in Los Angeles, underscored a lifelong dedication to animal welfare that began in her teenage years.
In her final PETA campaign, Panettiere was depicted in a bathtub, drawing attention to the suffering of dolphins confined in marine parks. "Can you imagine their frustration, their trauma, their depression?" Panettiere stated in a plea against marine life captivity. "All that is important and crucial for their well-being is ripped away. … We can end this. You and me."
Panettiere's commitment to marine conservation was evident from her early involvement with the Whaleman Foundation and its "Save the Whales Again!" campaign. In 2007, she traveled to Taiji, Japan, with other activists to protest the annual dolphin slaughter by local fishermen. During a demonstration, Panettiere and fellow protesters entered the water to form a memorial circle for deceased dolphins. The protest reportedly turned violent when fishermen approached the activists with poles and spinning propellers.
Footage of the Taiji dolphin hunts later appeared in the documentary "The Cove," which won an Academy Award. Panettiere also attempted to engage with local leaders in Japan, advocating for alternatives to dolphin hunting and aiming to inform the public about the practices. Despite tensions, she expressed hope for future change, believing that the people of Japan would ultimately bring an end to the hunts. She noted that many Japanese citizens were unaware of the hunts and that dolphin meat posed potential human health risks due to toxicity.
Her activism earned her recognition, including a spot on TIME's celebrity "do-gooders" list and The Humane Society's Wyler Award in 2008 for her efforts against dolphin slaughter. In the same year, Panettiere joined Senator John Kerry at a press conference on Capitol Hill to advocate for governmental action against commercial whaling and for the protection of marine life.
"Dolphins and whales are some of the most contaminated animals on the planet and like canaries in a coal mine they are telling us that something is seriously wrong with our oceans," Panettiere said at the time. "We are poisoning the oceans' food chain and ultimately poisoning ourselves and I think that is it vitally important to get this truth out to the younger generations."
Panettiere died on Sunday in Greenville, South Carolina. According to a police report, Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were present at the time of her death. Preliminary autopsy results have indicated no signs of trauma contributing to her death, with the cause and manner pending further investigation. The Greenville County Coroner’s Office and the Greenville City Police Department are conducting parallel investigations, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Panettiere is survived by her daughter, Kaya, born in 2014, with ex-fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.