Recently, SeaWorld announced that the beloved orca whale--Tilikum--has passed away. The cause is known to be a bacterial infection of the lungs which has been found to be present in a few other animals in captivity. The whale was believed to be about 36 years old at the time of his passing.

Many people have taken to social media to express their love or hate towards Tilikum and SeaWorld has a whole. The topic of SeaWorld and the idea of keeping the marine animals in captivity holds a special place in my heart due to my love of the ocean and the profuse amount of research I have put in for true, informative essays and speeches. Hearing the heated words from others, whether they are part of the strong-opinionated PEETA organization or are strong believers in the world-famous documentary Blackfish, always seems to start a fire in my soul.

I am very open about my love and support for SeaWorld and the services they provide not just for the general public, but for the animals they work with. I also am very understanding as to why people may not support the multi-billion dollar company or even other zoos for that matter. It can be hard to watch animals all cooped in a cage being forced to play with a punctured ball. That's not where they belong, they belong in the wild, playing or swimming along with their friends and family.

For some people it's hard to understand that the animals that are in zoos or located in facilities/companies such as SeaWorld could never in a million years be released into the wild. It's a happy thought, trust me, I know, but it is impossible for the animals to be set free and live. They have not developed the necessary skills it takes to hunt, or defend themselves properly. Yes, they have their natural born instincts that have become imprinted throughout history but they have not been able to exercise and perfect those tools. They have learned that their food comes at 6, 12, and 5 and that humans are their friends, not their enemy.

SeaWorld has taken a huge hit after the film Blackfish was released. If you have seen the documentary, you probably think I am full of bologna and a horrible person. And if you haven't done any research outside of watching the film, I don't blame you. However, I have done much research on the touchy subject and have written many (school) essays expressing both sides of the conflict all while coming to the conclusion of SeaWorld is doing exactly what they need to be doing.

Blackfish does a great job in leading the viewers into believing that SeaWorld is the worst place on earth. After all, Tilikum (the recently deceased orca whale) DID kill three people. Including the marvelous trainer, Dawn Brancheau. The film was supposed to be tribute to her passing, and even her family has come out saying how it did everything but honor her life.

Here's a list of facts that many people don't know or forget about when they are hoping for SeaWorld to shut down:

1.) The last whale SeaWorld has "captured" were in the early 1970's.

Tilikum was actually an exception to this. He was captured from a Canada park in the 1980's and after showing aggressive behavior was transferred to SeaWorld to get better treatment. Yes, capturing animals is wrong, but this was nearly 50 years ago. The entertainment sector and rules/regulations for parks and zoos were nearly nonexistent. The whales they have now have been bred and born in captivity whether it be at SeaWorld or from a horrible facility and SeaWorld decided to take them in--meaning they don't know how to survive in the vast ocean. As for now, their breeding system has since stopped as well.

2.) SeaWorld is the largest rescue and rehabilitation center in the WORLD.

If you'd like to shut down SeaWorld (or even several zoos) you're cutting down millions of billions of research dollars to rescue the actual wild animals you all claim to love so much. Rehabilitation is a great way for scientists to learn about the animals while also keeping them happy and healthy and yes, once they are all healed they get sent back out to the wild.

3.)SeaWorld is constantly being monitored by the USDA, National Marine Fisheries Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

People seem to forget that the SeaWorld program and every other zoo has rules, contracts, regulations, documents, and so much more that has been mathematically and scientifically studied. These studies are done in an effort to make both the animals and the people working with them happy but most importantly safe. SeaWorld has been known to exceed expectations with never a charge being brought against them.

4.)SeaWorld takes pride in all of their (current) staff and facilities.

The Blackfish documentary features a lot of ex and fired employees but they don't mention that. Trainers, marine biologists, scientists, professors, and so many more come from all around the world to study at SeaWorld.

"There’s a reason every single other accredited facility in the world goes to SeaWorld to learn how to take care of their animals. They’ve done it for the longest time. They’ve done it for the widest range of species. They have the largest zoological collection in the world, and with that comes a huge range of knowledge, skill and techniques, from healthy killer whale blood level databases to parenting behavior in beluga whales to how to perform a C section on a shark" (awesomeocean.com).

5.) SeaWorld is revamping their programs.

The program has undergone a huge loss. Many funding has ceased and SeaWorld is scrambling to get the necessary money needed to properly run the programs they have now. They are stopping their breeding program and are quitting a few of their orca and dolphin shows. Instead of focusing on the "entertainment" aspect they are shifting their focus to the environment and the animals themselves.

Please, please, PLEASE do your research, the right kind of research. Search for sites that question your current stance. Don't base all your information off of one source and come to your own conclusion, own it but don't be scared to think that you can't change it either.