Actress Hayden Panettiere made international headlines last month when she was involved in a violent protest in which she and other activists tried in vain to stop fishermen from their traditional hunting of dolphins off the coast of Japan.

The altercation didn't end well for the animals, and Hayden Panettiere was rather upset about it, understandably. But every dark cloud has a silver lining, and for us, that means a pair of bikini photos of Hayden Panettiere from that day!

Her beloved dolphins in Japan were not saved, unfortunately, but these Hayden Panettiere bikini pics were saved... by our staff... on our hard drive. Okay, that's it.

Come to think of it, if she wants to raise awareness about this important cause, the bikini photos ain't a bad means of going about it. Moreover, just think about the impact a Hayden Panettiere nude photo spread would have on young minds ...

Anyway. The Heroes star and the rest of her world-saving fellow cast members return with an exciting episode tonight on NBC. Needless to say, we'll be tuning in.