PETA Claims a SeaWorld Employee Infiltrated Their Activist Group to Spy on Them

Read: The Worst Thing About SeaWorld Is How Fucking Boring It Is

PETA thinks that a SeaWorld employee has spent years pretending to be an animal-rights activist in order to pull off some weird, watery espionage, Bloomberg reports. Going by the pseudonym Thomas Jones, the California man allegedly took part in the animal rights activism and protested against his own employer's treatment of killer whales.

PETA officials think the SeaWorld hater they knew as "Thomas Jones" is actually Paul McComb, a guy who has worked for the company since 2008. Photos of Jones from his Facebook page look a heck of a lot like those on McComb's, a fact that has been confirmed by an activist who protested with Jones and has eyes. Also, Jones's license plate has been traced back to McComb.

"What is the big surprise for the upcoming protest. Are we going up the gates or something?" Jones asked fellow animal rights protesters, allegedly trying to weasel information out of them. Later, to really drive home the point that he was definitely not a spy or anything, Jones posted on Facebook to "grab your pitch forks and torches. Time to take down SeaWorld!"

In a statement earlier this week, a SeaWorld spokesman said, "We are focused on the safety of our team members, guests and animals, and beyond that we do not comment on our security operations. This is a responsibility that we take very seriously, especially as animal rights groups have become increasingly extreme in their rhetoric and tactics." The company did not respond to Bloomberg's further questions.

SeaWorld has faced backlash in recent years over its treatment of whales, especially in the wake of the documentary Blackfish. The company has been trying (and failing) to smooth things over with a new ad campaign, and if this double-agent is their PR secret weapon, the plan hasn't worked so well.

Bloomberg contacted Paul McComb, SeaWorld's possible spy, by phone, but he refused to confirm that he was a SeaWorld employee. He promptly hung up when asked if he ever went by the name of "Thomas Jones."