Further down on this post you can see video of actress Hayden Pannettiere, star of Heroes protesting the slaughter of dolphins in Japan. Hayden and other surfers joined to form a floating circle on surf boards offshore the coastal village of Taiji. It is reported more than 22,000 dolphins are slaughtered each year in Japan. In the video, collected by RIC O’BARRY of “Save Japan’s Dolphins,” Hayden and the others are caught protesting for 10 minutes and jabbed with hooks by the fishermen. Moments later Hayden is seen crying on the beach after being forced back to shore.
As for the crusade, Hayden released the following statement today:
Now more than ever the world has to come together to make changes. Just because certain cultures have had long-standing traditions does not mean that in today’s world they are acceptable any longer. The world and the environment are evolving and that means we must change our ways as human beings as well.
Unfortunately this story does not have a happy ending. The pod of dolphins was driven into a nearby cove and killed. Hayden and the other protesters had to make a quick exit from the scene to avoid being arrested for trespass by the Japanese national police. Fishermen in the area say that hunting the dolphins is a long-standing tradition and we have no right to interfere.
Matt Damon has also been involved with this cause. He hosted ”The State of the Ocean’s Animals“, from the long-running environmental television series Journey to Planet Earth on PBS.
Watch the video now:
Do you want to help Hayden save the dolphins?
Visit the Save Japan Dolphins website to find out how.
Filed under: Hayden Panettiere, Matt Damon | Tagged: Hayden Panettiere, Save the Dolphins
