Heroes star Hayden Panettiere made her way to our nation’s capital this weekend to participate in a Save the Whales Again rally orchestrated by The Whaleman Foundation and The Animal Welfare Institute. Hayden led a group of t-shirted rally participants in an aerial art event that had rally-goers form the shape of a huge pilot whale with the word VOTE underneath. Here are a few pics from this weekend’s rally and some info from the event’s press release:

Actress Hayden Panettiere, currently starring on the hit NBC series “Heroes,” [led] 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” … 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.

You gotta love that Hayden, who has just turned old enough to vote, is so passionately interested in working for the causes that she really believes in. This is not the first time that Hayden has put herself on the line for the whales. She faced arrest in Japan late last year after participating in a protest to try and stop whale hunting there. And, let’s not forget, that she was also part of the Declare Yourself campaign to urge young people to get registered and vote in the upcoming election. Perhaps the lass has a political career in her future once she’s done being a Hollywood “It” Girl? Hey, if Ronald Reagan can go from actor to President, why can’t Hayden?

[Photo credit: Splash News; Source]