The Heroes star, Hayden Panettiere, was very moved last Saturday (March 29) when the Humane Society of the United States gave her a prize for protesting the abusive treatment of dolphins in Japan last year, reports People.
Panettiere received the Gretchen Wyler Award which is given annually at the Genesis Awards ceremony to a celebrity who has come to the aid of animals.
Gretchen Wyler, a former actress who founded the Genesis Awards, died last May of breast cancer two months before giving the first award in her name to Paul McCartney.
Panettiere said upon receiving the award, "As an actress, you always dream of getting awards like the Golden Globe award, but I never expected to get an award that is this special and important to me as this. There are people who dedicate their entire lives to preserving the environment and defending animals, they are so much more deserving of something like this."