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Washington, D.C. (October 26, 2008) - Actress Hayden
Panettiere, currently starring on the hit NBC series “Heroes,” led
hundreds of participants in an aerial art event forming a giant
human pilot whale beside the message “VOTE,” today in front of the
U.S. Capitol building.
The pilot whale symbolizes the tens of thousands of whales and
dolphins killed each year by Japanese fishermen and 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.”
“Recent polls show that over 75 percent of registered voters oppose
whaling, and over two-thirds want our government to do something
about it.” said Jeff Pantukhoff, president and founder of The
Whaleman Foundation and executive director of the Save the Whales
Again! Campaign “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 US 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.”
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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.
Additional Information:
Contacts:
Susan Millward, Animal Welfare Institute, (202) 640-9606,
susan@awionline.org
Jeff Pantukhoff, The Whaleman Foundation, (808) 283-4465,
whaleman@maui.net
Michelle Bega, For Hayden Panettiere, (310) 854-8165,
mbega@rogersandcowan.com
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