Joe Rogan Experience #1297 - Phil Demers

Oh. Hey, fella. What you got there?

(laughs)

What is that, legal marijuana in your hands?

You want a closer look?

You activist, you.

I'm such a radical, man. Uh, the streets are- are not safe when I'm out on the loose.

Are you radical?

(laughs)

You seem like a regular guy.

Yeah, yeah. Regular guy, uh, with a irregular amount of stress.

With the walrus right there.

Dude, you don't mind my putting it there?

No, no, not at all. Of course. Yeah.

I'm so happy to come back and see it.

No, it stays on the desk.

Yeah, that thing's amazing.

This, uh, means as much to us as anybody, except for you.

Well, it's nice to see it. This is my, uh, this is my happy place. This is my safe place. (laughs)

(laughs)

I gotta travel across the country to be safe, but, uh, it's- it's certainly a pleasure to be here again. And Joe, I always have to thank you. Bottom of my heart, brother.

Uh, listen, brother, I thank you too. I was texting Whitney today, I said, "You're a hero." You're a legitimate hero. (clears throat) For people who don't know what this is all about, I'll give everybody the backstory. Um, Phil used to work at Marineland. He was an orca trainer, and he also trained a walrus named Smooshy. And Smooshy is still allegedly in captivity at Marineland, although there's no photographic evidence, but you're pretty sure she's still there?

I was told that she is still there and she's in good shape, and I'm hanging onto that.

Since you came on the podcast the first time, which was how many years ago now?

So six years ago, I think. That's 2013.

Six years. So he's been living this lawsuit life for six years, trapped in a lawsuit with a gigantic corporation with incredible amounts of money that's been trying to crush him. And, um, they've made up stuff. Well, tell me what's- what's happened. Give- give me your- your perspective on how it all went down.

So back in 2012, I made, I- I was forced to make a very difficult decision. Uh, I elected to speak out against the conditions of which, uh, Marineland's animals were living in. Um, I did so knowing the risks, knowing that Marineland was a litigious company, but I did so on account to the fact that the animals were suffering incredibly. Uh, before quitting, I had an agreement with Marineland that, look, I'm leaving ... this is long before I'd spoke out- I'd spoken out. I'm leaving, but, you know, we have to establish that I can maintain this relationship with the walrus because sh- I imprinted on her. It's important to stress that, that she thinks I'm her mom.

She was a baby.

She was a baby when she came in, so she was wild caught, and you can imagine probably witnessed her mother get slaughtered. That's the, uh, that's the method of collecting babies, um, by the- by the captors in Russia. And, uh, so she comes in traumatic at the age of, we estimate about 18 months of age, which is pretty old, in fact, uh, for, uh, in our experience, Marineland's experience of- of acquiring these wild caught baby walruses. Um, and through a sort of traumatic experience with her that I was th- there with her, this anomalous thing happened where her brain circuitry opened up, and much like in the wild where in the case of herd animals, the babies, uh, become familiar with the mother's sound, scent, look, everything. All the senses are acute. They're- they're aware of who they, of where they are so that they can, you know, find each other amidst these thousands of animals. Well, this happened to her. So the brain circuitry opens, suddenly I'm imprinted on her. I wasn't prepared to leave Marineland unless it was of the understanding that I can continue to help her because historically, my relationship with her, uh, you know, had everything to do with her health and well-being. I quit with the understanding with Marineland this was to be the case. I'd been gone for a month. I come back unannounced. They don't want to let me in. They're hiding something. I get in, I see her. She's in terrible shape. I snap a few photos, I leave. Now, amidst this-