Hayden Panettiere Gets Back into Japanese Water with Dolphins

Hayden Panettiere continues to live up to her Heroes status, at least when it comes to whales.

The starlet and Save the Whales Again! spokesperson famously dove into the blood-filled waters of Taiji, Japan, in a peaceful protest of the village's dolphin killing. As witnessed in the Oscar-winning documentary, The Cove, the moment got ugly when fisherman began attacking the actress and her five fellow surfers.

Hayden, however, was undaunted, and has returned to the Japanese village again today in the hops of meeting with locals and Taiji's mayor, city councilman and Fisheries Union representatives.

The 20-year-old activist is especially hoping to draw local attention. As much international exposure as the actress and the film have garnered, few of the small towns are fully aware of what's happening to the animals.

The currently red-headed star is hoping to rectify some of this, as well as make sure locals know that the dolphin meat itself is highly contaminated with mercury and other toxins and is not safe for human consumption.

It's something of a save the cheerleader, save the whales campaign.