Written and directed by Nathalie Bibeau
Featuring Phil Demers (as himself)
Running time: 1 hour and 29 minutes
Unrated with footage of animal abuse, tasteful human nudity

by Jenny Swadosh

“There comes a point where suddenly you used to make sense of things you can’t no more.” -- Phil Demers, The Walrus Whisperer

Some 30 years ago, after decades of working in road construction, my animal-loving dad submitted his name to help out at a local aquarium. He was invited to a behind-the-scenes orientation for incoming volunteers, where he was dismayed to discover that he shared a prescription with a Beluga whale or a porpoise (I can no longer recall which). The medication was for ulcers. When he inquired further, he was devastated to learn that the aquarium’s marine mammals found performing in shows and aquarium life in general stressful. Ulcers aren’t caused by stress though; stress exacerbates ulcers. Taking other medications, particularly pain relievers, are major causes of ulcers. Dad never returned to the aquarium as a volunteer. This experience profoundly changed our view of aquariums and the animals who involuntarily live in them. So I approached The Walrus and the Whistleblower with a particular viewpoint.