Hayden Panettiere posed for what would be her final PETA campaign mere weeks before her shocking death at age 36.
On Tuesday, August 18, PETA unveiled a new promo video Panettiere filmed in the final weeks of her life to protest the captivity of whales, dolphins and other marine life at theme parks across the world.
“Can you imagine [the animals’] frustration, their trauma, their depression? All that is important and crucial for their well-being is ripped away,” Panettiere argues in comments about the animals, obtained by Us. “We can end this. You and me. In their ocean homes, they can be with their families, dive deep to escape the hot sun and enjoy the rain on their backs … all of that is taken from them when they are confined to small tanks.”
In the ad, Panettiere draws attention to the way animals are forced to live inside small enclosures at various parks around the planet, performing tricks for screaming visitors without any refuge.
The powerful PETA clip ends with the former Heroes star asking viewers to pledge to stop visiting marine theme parks.
“Vow today to never go to a marine park that keeps dolphins in extreme captivity. Together, we can end this cruelty,” she asks.
Alongside the video’s release, PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange paid tribute to Panettiere’s long history of fierce animal rights activism. (Panettiere memorably appeared in the acclaimed 2009 documentary The Cove, where she was shown paddling into the ocean off the coast of Japan to confront dolphin hunters.)
“Hayden Panettiere became a household name playing a hero on TV, but to animals, she was the real deal,” Lange said on Tuesday. “She fearlessly paddled into the blood-stained waters of Taiji, Japan to stare down dolphin hunters during their annual massacre, a moment captured in the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove, and never stopped denouncing marine parks like SeaWorld, calling their confinement of complex, far-ranging marine mammals in concrete tanks ‘disgusting.’ The world has lost a kind soul and the animals a fierce ally, and everyone at PETA holds her memory close.”
The actress was also the spokesperson for the Hawaii-based marine charity Whaleman Foundation, which fights for the welfare of whales, dolphins, and porpoises in their natural habitat.
PETA joined a chorus of Hollywood stars in paying tribute to Panettiere’s life and legacy following her death on Sunday, August 16. The Greenville Police Department confirmed on Sunday that Panettiere was found “unresponsive” at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina. The Nashville alum was later pronounced dead from a suspected overdose.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the tragic passing of our beloved Hayden,” Panettiere’s father, Skip Panettiere, told Us in a statement at the time. “She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her — and to the millions who watched her onscreen.”
An autopsy — which was completed on Monday, August 17 — determined that “no signs of trauma were discovered that would have contributed” to Panettiere’s death. An official cause of death is “pending further investigation and the completion of additional studies,” per the Greenville County Coroner’s Office.
Us reported that Panettiere’s ex-boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother, Zach Hickerson, were at the Greenville apartment when emergency personnel arrived on Sunday. An incident report obtained by Us indicated that Brian, 37, provided a “bag of medication” that Panettiere was “currently on.”
Local police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding Panettiere’s death.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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