The ethical side of keeping animals in captivity captured my interest because I have always grown up with pets and visiting zoos and aquariums. However, recently programs that keep animals under captivity have been criticized publically for poor treatment of the animals they keep. I wanted to find out if the animals kept in these programs were being mistreated or experiencing mental or physical harm. This question affects my values because I personally believe that animals should be treated fairly and respectfully and that they are not here for human entertainment. My experience regarding this topic includes visiting zoos, aquariums, circuses, and amusement parks that all contain wild or exotic animals. I believe I am qualified to write about this because I have done lots of research and considered the different ways that the research question could be answered.

This first source I used to research this topic is "Zoochotic: Is Keeping Wild Animals in Captivity Crazy?" This article claims that keeping wild animals in captivity is wrong for multiple reasons. One reason is that it is not safe for animals or humans. There have been many cases of zoo animals acting out, most likely due to being in an unnatural environment, and harming the humans around them. Many zoos also claim that they provide education, however, zoos do not provide us with an accurate representation of animals because they are not in their natural habitat or behaving naturally. Keeping animals in such small enclosures without physical and mental enrichment is also cruel and can do significant damage to the animals in the long run. The author of this article is Adam M. Roberts. He is most likely a credible author because he is the CEO of the Born Free USA organization. This means he has experience and knowledge about wild animals and animal captivity. The Born Free USA organization is also a recognized and credible source. 

The second source is "Debunking Captivity: 3 Reasons Not to Keep Dolphins in a Tank." This article was about how it is inhumane to keep dolphins in captivity. Some of the major points of this article were that dolphins are extremely intelligent animals and have complex social structures, which require them to be in the ocean to thrive. Some other interests in this article are animal's cognitive abilities, how they interact with one another, and their emotions and personalities. Each of these abilities allows dolphins to prosper in their natural environment, the ocean, and causes them to suffer when held in captivity. This article also discusses the use of captivity for research and education purposes. Once again, this kind of research is not effective because the animals are not behaving as they would in a real environment. The author of this source is Maddalena Bearzi. Bearzi has studied the ecology and conservation of marine mammals for over twenty-five years. She is also President and Co-founder of the Ocean Conservation Society. This provides her with insight on how marine mammals work and survive, showing that she is a credible source for this topic. 

The last source is called "Wild vs. Captivity." This source states facts and compares the differences between cetaceans lives in the wild and in captivity. This article allows the reader to form a personal opinion about captivity by providing information about the daily lives of cetaceans. Some interests in this article are how far cetaceans travel in a day, their social interactions, what they eat, the environments they live in, and daily functions. Most of the comparisons are vastly different and provide proof that living in captivity is not the same as living in the wild. The author of this article is Dave Tilford. Tilford is the author and editor of the Animal Welfare Institute. The Animal Welfare Institute aims to pass laws that protect animals from inhumane conditions and cruelty. This means that Tilford is a reliable source, though he may be slightly biased because his organization is against animals kept in captivity. 

This research question is arguable because there are many different viewpoints on the topic. Many scientists have observed animals in the wild and in captivity to compare how they behave and their health. The viewpoints between scientists and people who do not work with animals may change based on personal opinions and values that vary from person to person. What a person's stance on this topic is depends on whether or not they believe that animals have emotions, whether they believe that captive environments are acceptable, and many other factors as well. I may need to revise my question to ask more specifically about the harmful effects of captivity, since that is what I think I am going to focus on. 

