SeaWorld worker spied on animal rights activists
US theme park admits sending an employee to infiltrate animal rights group Peta
SeaWorld has admitted that an animal rights activist who posted violent and inflammatory remarks on social media was actually one of their employees working undercover.
Paul McComb, who works in SeaWorld San Diego's human resources department, spent three years as a member of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) group before being discovered last year.
Peta claims that during his time with them, McComb posted inflammatory rhetoric on social media and tried to incite other activists to violence.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"SeaWorld's corporate espionage campaign included trying to coerce kind people into setting SeaWorld on fire or draining its tanks," a statement from the group said. "When SeaWorld spied, it had no interest in the truth, but only in creating illegal activity."
Yesterday, SeaWorld chief executive Joel Manby said an internal investigation had confirmed McComb had been assigned to spy on Peta.
Manby, who made the revelation during a call with investors, did not divulge details about who had ordered the infiltration but said that no more such activity would take place.
He added he had "directed management to end the practice in which certain employees pose as animal rights activists", suggesting this was not an isolated case.
In a statement, the company said McComb "remains an employee of SeaWorld, has returned to work at SeaWorld in a different department and is no longer on administrative leave".
The company became the target of international outcry in 2013 after the documentary Blackfish examined the impact of captivity on its performing whales. High-profile musicians cancelled concerts at the parks and visitor numbers have dropped in the wake of the film's release.
The water park has since announced it will be phasing out its traditional killer whale shows in San Diego but the company is still struggling to turn around declining profits. Net income fell 20 per cent to $60.2m (£43.2m) in the first nine months of 2015, while the number of admissions continued to fall.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Big Tech critic Brendan Carr is Trump's FCC pick
In the Spotlight The next FCC commissioner wants to end content moderation practices on social media sites
By David Faris Published
-
ATACMS, the long-range American missiles being fired by Ukraine
The Explainer President Joe Biden has authorized their use for the first time in the war
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
The bacterial consequences of hurricanes
Under the radar Floodwaters are microbial hotbeds
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Turkey divided over 'massacre law' to combat stray dogs
Under the Radar Many argue growing dog population is dangerous and dirty; others see them as historic and 'integral' aspect of Turkish culture
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Colombia’s growing ‘cocaine hippo’ problem
feature Descendants of animals once owned by druglord Pablo Escobar pose serious threat to humans and wildlife
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Norway euthanised ‘beloved’ walrus Freya
Speed Read The 600kg animal had become a popular attraction in the Oslo Fjord
By The Week Staff Published
-
Shell’s North Sea oil U-turn: ‘a first victory in a longer war’?
Speed Read Controversy after oil giant pulls out of proposed Cambo project
By The Week Staff Published
-
Fires, floods and storms: America’s ‘permanent emergency’ has begun
Speed Read This summer of climate horror feels like the ‘first, vertiginous 15 minutes of a disaster movie’, says The New York Times
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Hot air and empty rhetoric: is the UK acting too slowly on climate change?
Speed Read ‘Every day, new evidence accumulates that humanity is on an unsustainable path’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Germany floods: what led to this ‘once-in-a-century’ disaster?
Speed Read Nearly 200 people died in Germany and Belgium; hundreds are still unaccounted for
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Penguin colony at risk as Somerset-sized iceberg bears down on British overseas territory
Speed Read Several species face starvation if the icy giant blocks access to feeding grounds
By Aaron Drapkin Published