Instead, they sued him for trespassing and plotting to steal one of their heaviest residents: a 1,200lb walrus named Smooshi, with whom Demers had formed a bizarrely close bond. Shortly after Smooshi’s arrival, Demers was helping his colleagues draw blood from her and another walrus in a routine procedure. Stressed and frantic, Smooshi thrashed around in what Demers thought was an attempt to protect the other walrus. Phil Demers during a protest to free Smooshi. “I’m sitting on the dock actually watching the sunset over Marineland,” Demers said, “and there’s something that gives you a renewed faith every day that you’re doing the right thing.”

Source: The Guardian January 06, 2023 06:56 UTC