Hayden Panettiere is best known for playing the indestructable cheerleader on the Heroes television series.  Japan is best known for samurais, sushi, and a little show called Iron Chef.

Well the two came together recently when Hayden Panettierre joined the Surfers For Cetaceans organization to protest the slaughter of thousands of dolphins in Taiji, Japan.  Surfers For Cetaceans staged a protest in the harbour where many of the dolphins were to be slaughtered and managed to keep the dolphin-killers at bay, at least for now.

From Sea Shepherd's Taiji web site:

Each year from October through March, in small towns across Japan, thousands of dolphins and small whales are confined and brutally killed. These slaughters take place in fishing towns including Taiji, Iki, Ito, Futo and Izu. During those months, Japanese fishermen herd whole families and pods of dolphins, porpoises and small whales into shallow bays and mercilessly hack them to death. Most of these small cetaceans are sold as meat in restaurants and stores, while some are destined for a life in captivity.

In addition to the small cetaceans being massacred on the beaches, Japan kills approximately 100,000 more marine mammals (primarily Dall’s porpoises and also dolphins) in its fishing industry. This killing must stop!

Ugh.  It's just depressing.  At least with the aid of celebrity clout from stars like Hayden there might be some hope of bringing more attention to the issue.  The Japanese either need to be educated as to why this practice is wrong, or embarrassed into banning it despite public demand for whale and dolphin meat.

So what can you do?  If you hit the jump and follow the links there are resources on the Surfers For Cetaceans web site where you can learn more.

» Surfers For Cetaceans