NIAGARA FALLS—For Phil Demers, leaving Marineland felt like the biggest betrayal of his life.

It had little to do with the place where he worked for 12 years or even the colleagues he loves. Rather, he left Smooshi, the walrus that “adopted” him when she arrived in 2004 at 18 months.

It kills Demers, 34, that she doesn’t understand why he’s gone.

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His departure means he won’t be able to see the goofy girl that followed him everywhere. Walrus and trainer became minor celebrities after a slew of media reports on their relationship in 2008.

Marine mammal specialists can’t explain why Smooshi “imprinted” on Demers. Videos show them together, Smooshi obviously feeling safe while he stroked her big, whiskery mug.

Sometime after 2008, Smooshi was moved from Marineland’s barn to the Aquarium, where Demers said she deteriorated because of problems with the water. Demers lobbied successfully to move her back to the barn. At first, she improved but problems eventually returned.

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Smooshi stopped eating and would play with a fish for hours. He worked hard, developing a “jello program,” coaxing her to eat fish with gelatin cube kickers.

“In the wild, they spend all their time in the water chasing fish and eating them,” explains Demers. “Then they come here and we feed them buckets of fish. And then we have no time for them. Take away their need to survive and they have nothing to do.”

Demers began to write memos seeking better conditions and more trainers. “Walruses require at least five hours of attention per animal per day. . . Regurgitation, poor mental health and weight loss is noted already,” says a 2010 memo that asks for five trainers on walruses alone.

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By spring of 2012, Demers, who was in charge of the stadium show, had lost the authority to hire and train employees. That meant: “I couldn’t train people enough to properly care for the animals and I didn’t have time to keep them eating.”

In April, he made the difficult decision to resign. His last day was May 10.

Colleagues urged him to stay at Marineland.

“He is, in my opinion, one of the best trainers (actually, he is THE BEST) with respect to skills and understanding,” Marineland vet Erica Gehring emailed to administrator Tracy Stewart. “He knows the animals and understands how to get them to do things that make it easier for all of us.

“We really, really need Phil to stay . . . there are other places that will snatch him up if he leaves . . . Marineland needs him, Smooshi needs him . . . We all need him.”

Demers thought he’d be able to do see Smooshi through contract or volunteer work. Instead, his decision to resign has meant no access.

Other trainers assure Demers she’s put on weight and she’s in the stadium show.

But Demers is afraid her separation anxiety will worsen and feeding issues will become entrenched.

Moreover, he says he made her a promise. He wants her away from Marineland’s dank, concrete pens.

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His dream is to get Smooshi into a facility that “can offer her proper care and where I can be involved in her life in some way, shape or form.”

By speaking out about Marineland, he knows he hasn’t made it easy.

Linda Diebel

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