Tributes continue to come in for Hayden Panettiere following her death at age 36, including from animal rights organizations honoring the actress for her longtime advocacy.
PETA revealed that Panettiere had been working with the organization on a campaign against marine mammal captivity shortly before her death. The campaign, which was filmed just weeks before she died, is now being released in her honor.
“In one of the last acts of her short, impactful life, Hayden Panettiere asked her audience and the world to think of dolphins and orcas and boycott marine parks,” PETA wrote.
Panettiere also filmed a video for the campaign. Standing beside a bathtub, the actress explained that dolphins can swim up to 60 miles a day in the wild, where they are able to live alongside their pods and move freely through their natural environment.
“Imagine spending your entire life in a bathtub,” Panettiere said in the video. “That’s what it is like for dolphins and whales in tiny tanks and marine amusement parks.”
Hayden Panettiere Advocated for Marine Animals for Nearly 20 Years
The campaign was not Panettiere’s first time speaking out for marine animals. Her advocacy for the cause stretched back nearly two decades.
In 2007, when she was 18, Panettiere traveled to Taiji, Japan, where she joined other activists protesting the annual dolphin hunt, per PETA post. The group paddled into the water on surfboards in an effort to confront dolphin hunters and bring attention to the killings.
The moment was later featured in the Oscar-winning documentary “The Cove,” which explored dolphin-hunting practices in Japan.
PETA reflected on Panettiere’s years of advocacy while sharing her final campaign, describing the project as a final chapter in her work on behalf of marine mammals.
In an Instagram post featuring the campaign video, PETA revealed that it had been filmed just two weeks before Panettiere’s death.
“Hayden Panettiere became a household name playing a hero on TV, but in real life she was a hero to animals,” the organization wrote.
PETA encouraged those wishing to honor the actress to continue supporting a cause that had remained important to her for much of her life.
Panettiere was also remembered by Myrtle Beach Safari, which shared photos from her visits to the wildlife organization in 2015. In its tribute, the group said the actress had visited several times over the years and remembered her for her “warmth, kindness, and genuine love for the animals.”
The organization said Panettiere formed a friendship with a chimpanzee named Vali and had a special love for its tigers.
“These photographs from 2015 capture the Hayden we will remember: smiling, loving, completely at ease with the animals, and simply enjoying being around them,” the tribute read.
Hayden Panettiere’s Family Remembers Her Following Her Death at 36
GettyPanettiere died Aug. 16, just days before what would have been her 37th birthday on Aug. 21.
According to TMZ, the actress was found unresponsive at a residence in South Carolina after emergency responders were called to the home. An investigation remained ongoing, and an official cause of death had not been released at the time of publication.
Panettiere began acting as a child and later became known for playing Claire Bennet on “Heroes” and Juliette Barnes on “Nashville.” Her credits also included “Remember the Titans,” “Scream 4” and “Scream VI.” She was also the mother of daughter Kaya, whom she shared with former fiancé Wladimir Klitschko.
Her family confirmed her death through a representative and remembered Panettiere for the impact she had on those who knew her personally and those who followed her career.
“She was an incredible light and a force of nature who brought immeasurable love and joy to all who knew her,” her father, Alan Panettiere, said.
