SeaWorld Supposedly Infiltrates PETA

(RTTNews) - PETA on Tuesday revealed an employee of SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. (SEAS) who has been posing for years as an animal-rights activist for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

According to PETA officials, activist Thomas Jones is actually Paul McComb, a human resources employee at SeaWorld San Diego. Jones had been posing as an activist since 2012 to infiltrate groups working against the company. He also partook in protests against the company over its use of captive killer whales and incited other activists to illegal actions.

"Thomas Jones" has also been posting inflammatory messages on Twitter, encouraging activists to "burn [SeaWorld] to the ground" and "drain the new tanks at SeaWorld."

The latest PR disaster comes at a time when SeaWorld continues to struggle against the protest of its captive killer whale. The criticism on SeaWorld started with the critical 2013 documentary 'Blackfish,' which was about Tilikum, a captive killer whale who was involved in the deaths of three individuals.

The documentary also noted the lower life spans of captive killer whales and their increased aggression during the captivity. The film severely affected the aquatic amusement park's attendance and revenues.