• SeaWorld’s corporate spy, masquerading as an incendiary animal rights activist under the alias “Tom Jones”, attended the annual gathering of killer whale enthusiasts in Friday Harbor, Washington in 2014.
• People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have proof that the same person attended rallies and incited violence against SeaWorld.
• Joel Manby, SeaWorld CEO, has launched an investigation into the company.

 

If you are going to hire someone to spy on animal activists and wildlife biologists, why hire someone who makes your company look inept in the process? That is exactly what SeaWorld did when they hired someone to play the role of a mythical activist called ‘Tom Jones’ – his posts to social media were reckless and laughable, and underscored the problems that SeaWorld is facing.

Last summer, Seaworld also sent him undercover to spy on a gathering of whale enthusiasts in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island (near Seattle, Washington). Ironically, the annual event, called Superpod,  is open to everyone.
People gather to exchange ideas on the conservation of wild orcas, and to help find ways to better the lives of captive ones. They whale watch. They party. Then they go home. And they invite everyone, even SeaWorld staff.
While there, “Jones”  pretended to be invested in the efforts to free Corky, a captive Northern Resident orca. (He is holding one end of the banner in the photo below.)

He also is believed to have secretly videotaped and released the unpublished data of a visiting scientist, Dr. John Jett:

Just a day after the story broke on “Tom Jones”, SeaWorld’s CEO Joel Manby released a statement promising to look into this debacle. Personally, I do believe that Manby would find this situation reprehensible – it doesn’t fit with his stated goals.
That said, it doesn’t mean that he is against corporate spying in general or that he accepts animal rights concerns – it means only that these clumsy, unethical and unkind tactics “won’t be tolerated”.  This story is still unfolding and it remains to be seen how many other posers are operating undercover.
Manby’s statement:

ORLANDO, Fla., July 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc.SEAS, -1.50% a leading theme park and entertainment company, today issued the following statement from CEO Joel Manby in response to recent news reports:
“The allegations made yesterday against a SeaWorld employee are very concerning. These allegations, if true, are not consistent with the values of the SeaWorld organization and will not be tolerated.
The SeaWorld Board of Directors and I have initiated an investigation into this matter which will be led by independent outside counsel, Ron Olson of Munger, Tolles & Olson, whose firm will have full access to our organization and people. In addition, we have placed the employee in question on paid administrative leave pending the findings of the investigation.
We will take all appropriate actions based on the results of the investigation to ensure that the integrity and values of the SeaWorld organization are upheld.”

The Superpod organizers hope that SeaWorld personnel will join in this year’s event, July 20 – 24, 2015.

While Voice of the Orcas absolutely does not condone many of Jones’ posts–which try to incite violence, we do welcome Jones and all SeaWorld employees to attend any and all of our events. Hopefully, Jones met some amazing people in the San Juan Islands, was able to see wild orcas and learn about their sophisticated lives from many of the world’s top scientists.
We know how difficult it must be to see a wild Blackfish swimming with their extended families over 100’s of miles and then return to SeaWorld and see them in tiny tanks. We are sure Jones’ life has been turned upside down in the last few days. He is another small cog in the SeaWorld corporate machinery which will do anything to protect the idea of captivity and the profits it yields. Dr. Jeffrey Ventre, Voice of the Orcas.

PLEASE NOTE: The identity of “Tom Jones” is known, but I feel that it is inappropriate to share at this point. Please consider his family if you choose to expose his identity to the public.