The main question I plan to address is if animals should be involved in the circus. I have an interest in this topic because I have always been concerned for animals and I believe that animals cannot be happy in any type of environment that the circus could provide. I am qualified to write on this argument because I have a concern for animals and I researched both sides of the argument. I believe that all animals like tigers and elephants should be respected. I believe that all animals should have happy lives considering how they have helped us further our culture. We have based technologies, vaccines, and weapons based off of watch animals and learning from them. I believe that we should not use them as objects for our entertainment, like the circus. As a kid, I enjoyed visiting the circus because you see exotic animals in a new light. The tricks highlighted the grace and mobility that you would never be able to observe at a zoo or a sanctuary. However, animal should not be forced to jump through a ring of fire or be forced to do a handstand. They should be respected and allowed to embrace their natural instincts. We should teach kids from the beginning that we should respect animals by banning animals from the circus and teaching children to respect a wild animal's natural environment. The circus does not encourage respect for animals. 

Tyke Elephant Outlaw is a documentary featuring an elephant in the circus. This documentary claims that the life of an elephant in the circus drives them to violence. The elephant, Tyke, lost her temper one day and attacked her handler during the circus' performance. When the elephant trainer stepped in to protect the handler from Tyke he was mauled to death.  This documentary does not state that they wish to ban animals from the circus, however, they imply it heavily by following a court case that makes it illegal for animals to perform in the circus in Honolulu, Hawaii. This documentary provides first-hand accounts from multiple speakers of what Tyke was like in the circus industry. The speakers all unanimously agree that Tyke should not have participated in that performance.  This documentary's biased does stem from the fact that everyone who spoke agreed on the stand that animals should not be in the circus but one man. The one man who spoke for the circus was presented as a bad guy and he did not get as much screen time as the speakers. 

My second source is a blog article written by a former circus worker. In "Cruel? No, elephants love the Circus  --  and I should know, says Dea Birkett, I use to ride them in the big top." Dea Birkett states that the elephants are happy and treated like pets in the circus. She is increasingly concerned about people working to make it illegal for animals to be in the circus.. However, the fact that this article is a primary source means it suffers from tunnel vision, the author took no other sources but her experience. The main issue is the circus that the author worked at did not travel like the other circuses, making her experience a very unique one. The author did not include other circumstances from circuses around the world. I do believe that the author could have been involved with her goal that she may have glossed over the truth. 

My final source, "This is how Cirque du Soleil reinvented the circus", is an article in a financial magazine that analyzes the benefits of not using animals in the circus. The authors explain that by housing and feeding the animals in the circus the circus loses a huge gap in their profit. The article also shows evidence for how Cirque du Soleil created a new standard for the circus. It states that Cirque de Soleil has created a more elegant atmosphere, meaning that people of all ages can enjoy the circus like never before. Cirque du Soleil removed all of the expensive aspects of the circus like the animals and instead focused on the classic acrobatic acts. This was written by two professors which establish ethos. The article had two additional sources which added to the credibility. 

 My research question is arguable because it has two sides that can be well research without too much hassle. On one side the animals in the circus do offer entertainment and some sources suggest that animals can be happy in the circus industry. On the other side, they argue that no animal can be happy in an environment offered by the circus and the animals are forced to perform tricks against their natural instinct. The fact is regulating the laws to ensure that every animal gets the care that they need is near impossible. It saves money and time to ban all animals from the circus. This is solution is also enhanced based off the fact that many of the animals in the circus are threatened in their natural environment. This means that we should focus all of our energy on protecting them in their own environment and preserving their natural instincts. 
