It has recently become public that killer whales, or orcas, are showing signs of abuse within SeaWorld's walls. I have found this information through social media, such as Facebook, but I have also read articles about this topic. Whenever I see videos or pictures about the whales being held captive in their tanks along with physical injuries, it makes me sad to think that SeaWorld is so well known for only the entertaining shows they train orcas to perform. But the general public does not notice the type of environment they have to live in, how dramatically different it is from their natural living situation, and how the orcas are physically suffering for being treated this way. 

The article "10 Things You Didn't Know About SeaWorld" has outlined ten ways SeaWorld puts orcas' lives in danger. This article provides information and pictures to prove that SeaWorld's orcas are not healthy or living correctly. This article gives examples that may not be known to the public. SeaWorld physically hurts these animals by covering up orcas' sunburns with black zinc oxide to maintain the normal, black color. Mostly all male adult orcas in captivity have collapsed dorsal fins, which is the sign of an unhealthy animal. Some orcas were actually kidnapped and sent to SeaWorld. This article's main purpose is to inform the world of harm that SeaWorld is doing to its orcas. The general public usually does not notice any of these problems because many of the issues are internal, and SeaWorld does such a great job to cover it up. This article is written by the organization named PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. PETA has done a lot of work to inform the general public about the harm SeaWorld does on its animals in the parks around the world. PETA not only works to educate the public about SeaWorld and its animals, but it also fights for the whales and the life they deserve to have. Therefore, I feel this is a very reliable source for this information.

The article "The Fate of Captive Orcas" explains the statistics and facts regarding orcas held captive in marine parks around the world, outlining how many orca deaths have been reported from their captivity and how many orcas are continued being captured and brought into marine parks. This article basically gives all the negative facts about the orca captivity and how it is hurting the species as a whole. It has reported that at least 150 orcas have been taken captive from the wild and put on display in marine parks around the world. The main point in this article is to educate the public about how marine parks maintain these animals and how it results in a shorter life span and death. This article is written by the WDC, or the Whale and Dolphin Conservation. This organization is the leading global charity dedicated to protecting these animals and defending for their rights. WDC's core belief is that all whales and dolphins have the right to live in their natural environment as they were meant to be, not have their lives determined by humans. Since this organization has done so much work with whales, I think this makes it a very credible and reliable source. 

My third source is a clip from a newspaper article found on the USC Library website entitled "Let Animals Roam Free in Their Natural Habitats". This article gives a more personal story regarding the captivity of orcas. This article talks mainly about the 2006 SeaWorld accident, when a whale grabbed a trainer twice and held him underwater during a show at the San Diego SeaWorld. The article focuses mainly on how this incident occurred because the orca was fighting back and using its natural instincts in the situation. But this was somehow still the orcas fault and was taken for blame, when in fact, this was the natural response of the animal. Although this article is taken from a newspaper, I do believe it is credible because it gives personal experience, which is different then my other sources. This article gives a different viewpoint on the issue and how the author, Douglas Way, notices that is is a problem. 

I do think my research question is arguable, but only in a certain sense. From all the information I have found and provided, I do feel that once people are informed of the harmful effects of SeaWorld and marine park captivity, they will realize how this is hurting orcas. But the arguable point is whether SeaWorld should continue to present these orcas as show animals, or if SeaWorld should even be allowed to keep orcas in its marine parks. The different viewpoints and facts definitely strengthened my opinion that orcas should be kept in their natural habitat in the wild and not displayed for a show.  Instead of arguing about SeaWorld and the orca abuse as a whole, I could change my research question to focus on the direct health of the orca and how that is affected while being held captive in marine parks. 

