Show Notes
In 2013, animal trainer Phil Demers was accused of plotting to kidnap an 800lb walrus named Smooshi. The accuser was Phil’s former employer: an aquatic amusement park in Niagara Falls, Canada. The park’s management claims he’s a disgruntled ex-employee with a penchant for fame. While Phil insists he’s an industry whistleblower trying to expose malpractice. This is their still-unfolding story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from Whistleblowers
Kathryn Bolkovac arrived in Bosnia in 1999. The nation still bore scars from the recent war, and as a new member of the UN’s Police Task Force, she was keen to help the country heal. Before long, though, she realized that some of her colleagues had different priorities. When she discovered evidence of abuse and child trafficking at their hands, she spoke up, and paid the price. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Dazzling young entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes had a big idea. She claimed to have developed a new healthcare diagnosis technique that could change lives. But when junior lab employees Erika Cheung and Tyler Shultz joined her company, they realized that something was very wrong. Eventually, they exposed one of the biggest scandals in Silicon Valley's history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When Vladimir Bukovsky was arrested in 1961, he braced himself for a violent stint in prison. But his punishment turned out to be much worse. Vladimir, like many other Soviet dissidents, was diagnosed with ‘symptomless schizophrenia’, force-fed drugs and sent to a psychiatric hospital. He spent many of the next 15 years of his life locked up, until he found a way to tell the world about his country’s secret weapon: political psychiatry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
When David Shayler and Annie Machon became British MI5 intelligence officers in the 1990s, they were excited to make a difference in the world. But just a few months into their new roles, they began to lose faith in their government. They believed the security services were spying on politicians, failing to stop terrorists and even plotting assassination attempts. Frustrated, they took drastic action, and spent the next three years on the run. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
In the late 1960s, detective Frank Serpico discovered widespread corruption in the New York Police Department. But when he blew the whistle, his fellow officers turned on him. He was even the victim of a shooting at work that he believes was a set-up. Miraculously, Serpico survived and continued his efforts, eventually transforming the NYPD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices