Steve-O isn’t exactly camera shy. He’s not a quiet person, either. And he’s made his thoughts on SeaWorld pretty clear: He doesn’t like them. Last night, he climbed a crane, blew up an inflatable whale, painted SeaWorld Sucks on it, and then lit off fireworks. Oh, and he live-streamed the whole thing on Facebook. Afterwards, of course, he was arrested.
Steve-O, or Stephen Glover, is 41-years-old. Last year, he climbed a freeway sign in San Diego and wrote “sucks” after SeaWorld.
The crane he climbed on Sunday night was at least a hundred feet high. Responders, including police, more than 80 firefighters, five ambulances, and a helicopter, showed up, not sure whether Steve-O’s stunt was a suicide attempt.
Steve-O hinted about stunt on Instagram, posting a photo of himself with the toy-whale. This is Shammy,” he wrote. “We’re going to do a big dangerous stunt tomorrow in Los Angeles that will probably get me in a lot of trouble.”
SeaWorld has come under serious scrutiny in the last few years for their treatment of animals, especially orcas. In the surfing community, Kelly Slater was very vocal about his feelings in a letter:
SeaWorld is experiencing declining attendance and revenue, and dozens of companies, including Southwest Airlines, Panama Jack, and Mattel, have recently ended partnerships with SeaWorld. As a professional surfer, I’m lucky and privileged to be able to spend the majority of my time in the ocean-it’s the place where I feel most at home, and thus, I feel an obligation to protect that which I have a voice in influencing.
Please, tell us, when will SeaWorld allow the animals it holds captive to return to their home — the ocean — by retiring them to a seaside sanctuary? And wouldn’t this at least be viewed, if nothing else, as a public relations win for you? By righting the wrongs you have committed in the name of corporate profit for so many years, you may actually be able to recoup some of the respect that has been lost in the eyes of the public and work toward an end to the problem of animal suffering. Thank you.
SeaWorld has seen a massive drop in revenue since the film Blackfish was released. Protests like Steve-O’s have become much more common. He’ll be booked on several charges, including trespassing and shooting fireworks without a permit.
