I feel strongly about this topic because I believe animals should live in their natural habitat and not be imprisoned in a cage for the rest of their lives. I think the concept of putting wild animals in captivity is morally wrong and therefore, going to zoos and even pet stores is intolerable for me. Wild animals should have the right to live in their natural habitat to meet all their needs physically and mentally, and taking that away from these animals without them having a choice is wrong. 

The idea of animal captivity has been with me ever since I was little, but the issue was intensified when living in Hong Kong for a year because I constantly witnessed animal cruelty in the fresh markets. In order to get home from school, the fresh market couldn't be avoided, and this is when my perspective on animal cruelty peaked. Seeing live turtles, chickens, fish and even small mammals kept in inhumane conditions to sell for food made me realize the apathetic attitude people have towards animals. This topic has been an interest of mine for a long time, and I have researched and written about animals being in captivity in academic settings for years.

The article SeaWorld Dolphin's Death Reveals More Dark Truths by Ameena Schelling voices the death of a dolphin named Betsy who died while being transported from one Sea World facility to another. Schelling not only discussed the recent death of this dolphin, but also other animal deaths having to do with SeaWorld in the past. In 2004, SeaWorld brought 10 wild-caught Commersons from Germany, and nine out of the ten died while being transported. The only survivor, Jogi, died only months after his arrival at SeaWorld. The article also mentions that animal death at SeaWorld isn't uncommon and provides various incidents where the deaths of these animals have occurred upon their arrival. The author and source are both credible because Schelling has continuously written about animal rights throughout her career and the opinions that are displayed in the article all come from scientists who have dedicated their lives to researching these mammals. This is more of an informative side to the view of SeaWorld and doesn't necessarily take sides.

SeaWorld and animal captivity has been a topic talked about for the past few years. Naomi Rose, a marine mammalogist who represents the Humane Society, has very negative views towards animal captivity as well as Ric O'Barry who represents Animal Advocare. In the written interview Anti-Captivity Views, both professionals discuss their feelings towards animals being stripped out of their natural habitats and put into tanks. The article consists of statistics about aquatic mammal's death rates as they are brought into captivity, the negative behavior that these animals develop in the absence of their natural habitats, and how training wild animals to not be wild gives the general population the perception that it's okay to abuse nature. Considering both scientists have devoted their lives to these animals and have written over 30 scientific papers about animal protection, this article is a credible source. This work is strongly against animals being in captivity in zoos and being used for entertainment.

The last article I chose discussed a completely different view about whales in captivity and looks at the bright side of their presence there. In the article, "Why Condemning SeaWorld is a Really Bad Idea" by Erin Mckinney, a former trainer at SeaWorld, believes that shutting down the facilities would be disastrous for animal wildlife and research. He discusses that SeaWorld is the largest rehabilitation and rescue program in the world, that the staff are knowledgeable and that millions of dollars are put into all of the animals in their facilities. Surprisingly finding this article was very difficult considering most of the websites that come up on the Internet regarding SeaWorld are negative, and against the aquatic park. Erin Mckinney is a credible source because he has first hand experience with these animals and the system he works for as a trainer.  There is major evidence in his writing that he is very passionate about his work with these aquatic animals in captivity, and that having these facilities with wild animals is an educational experience for our society. 

The topic of SeaWorld and whether it should be shut down or remain open has been a great debate in the last few years. The documentary "BlackFish" which came out in 2013 made people more aware about SeaWorld and what truly goes on with the animals. This is a very debatable topic but I think there is more evidence against the idea of captivity considering it was tough to find information about the pros of SeaWorld, and the whole concept of caging animals in zoos and entertainment parks. Overall, wild animals belong in their natural habitats, so the fact that they're not in their natural environment makes it a tougher argument for those who believe having them captive is a positive. The different perspectives from the articles definitely affect my own because seeing both extreme sides on this topic makes me more prone to research and try to understand how animal captivity can possibly be seen as a good thing. I would say my research question might be too vague, and I would need to choose a slimmer topic and more specific information.

