Do we have to kill mountain lions to get rid of rats? Apparently, the answer is yes. Can’t we do better than that? Shouldn’t we be able to find another solution? Do we even want to find a better way?
I live in the U.S., so that’s my reference point. But the same questions go for pretty much any other country in the world. However, my reference point is also as a Christian. So in some places, those questions may not be quite so relevant. But still, even then, they might be of interest.
Do we have to kill mountain lions to get rid of rats?
– The technology
Certainly, from a technology standpoint, it’s hard to imagine we can’t do better. We’ve got the science to target individual pieces of a DNA structure. Right now, because we’re killing rats, we’re also killing wild animals. We do this because people are dying from diseases carried by rats that aren’t being killed because of the battle between environmentalists and chemical companies.
The information below comes from the Sacramento Bee article titled, As rats overrun California cities, state moves to ban powerful pest-killers.
The rats were winning.
There were so many earlier this summer outside the CalEPA building in downtown Sacramento officials had to close its outdoor playground out of fear state employees’ kids would catch rodent-borne diseases.
To fight back, building officials set out a controversial type of rat poison whose use may soon be banned statewide by the California Legislature. The poison didn’t stay out very long once word got out the state’s top environmental regulators were using a poison widely condemned by California’s powerful environmental groups.
Maybe it’s just the typical political fear-mongering? Something done out of the so-called abundance of caution that’s often just an excuse for something that’s not really necessary – but it’s being done anyway? No, not this time. Here’s the mountain lion side of the issue.
The state is seeing a troubling resurgence of rodents, which can carry a wide array of diseases that have been around since the Middle Ages. The megalopolis of Los Angeles County, for one, has seen skyrocketing cases of one such disease, typhus. At the same time, researchers are finding widely used rodent poisons at sometimes lethal levels in the bodies of beloved California predators such as birds of prey and mountain lions.
Remarkably, anticoagulant rodenticide have been found in almost all of the mountain lions tested in California. Each year, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife performs dozens of autopsies known as necropsies on mountain lion carcasses. Nine out of every 10 cougars tested have traces of anticoagulant poisons in their livers.
As a result of the widespread wildlife poisoning, nearly every prominent environmental group in the state is advocating for a ban on anticoagulant rodenticides.
And here’s the people side of the problem.
Low levels of typhus, a bacterial infection spread by fleas carried by rats, cats and opossums, has always been found in Los Angeles County. But from 2013 to 2017, the average number of reported cases doubled to nearly 60 cases per year, excluding Long Beach and Pasadena, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (sorry, the article is no longer available).
Then, last year, the infection reached near crisis levels.
In 2018, the county tracked a total of 109 cases of flea-borne typhus, including 19 cases in downtown Los Angeles. Eight of the downtown cases were homeless people, according to county health officials. Those figures don’t include Pasadena and Long Beach, which saw an additional 39 cases.
Typhus is rarely fatal with treatment, but it’s certainly miserable. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says infected people can suffer fever, body aches, muscle pain, vomiting, coughs and rashes. In severe cases, the infection can damage a person’s liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, and brain.
And of course, also involved are the political parties. Democrats – in favor of protecting wildlife. Republicans – are using it akin to a slapstick punchline for commentary on the state’s liberal policies.
Killing mountain lions to protect people
– can’t we do better?
“Can’t we do better?” is a number of questions rolled up into one heading.
From a technology point of view, it’s hard to believe we can’t do something else. We’ve got the technology to target individual parts of the DNA structure. Can we really not come up with something targeted at very specific species? Like something that could kill the rats – but not have an impact on the mountain lions? Or any other animal, including a family pet, that might eat a poisoned rat?
Are we truly stuck in a “one or the other” scenario? Do we need to sacrifice the mountain lions in order to protect our kids from the rat-borne diseases?
As great as the medical resources are around the world – it’s really hard to believe we can’t do just that.
Killing mountain lions to protect people
– do we even want to do better?
Maybe this is the real question. Do we even want to do anything other than kill the mountain lions to protect the people?
Some chemical companies are making lots of money from these poisons. They “have” to. Lots of money went into the research and development to come up with these second-generation poisons. The stockholders will be pretty upset if they lose money. Those poisons must earn money in order to protect the shareholders.
Even if there were alternatives already in existence, would shareholders want them to be released before R & D costs on the current poisons were recovered? Short of lawsuits, is there any other way to make it more cost-effective to pull the current poisons right now?
And on the political side, as long as either party is making jokes out of the situation, there’s no hope that a solution will be forthcoming from them. It begs a question – is it even a joking matter when we have to choose between killing mountain lions and people? Why isn’t there another choice? For that matter, why isn’t there an outcry that these jokes are being made?
Killing mountain lions to protect people
– a middle ground?
I can’t believe I even read this, but here it is, from a rodent expert at the University of California Cooperative Extension.
“If you’re a mountain lion biologist and one of your precious mountain lions dies in the Santa Monica Mountains, that’s a huge deal, but if you’re me, and you’re in a classroom, and a maggoty rat, or multiple maggoty rats, are falling down out of the ceiling, that’s also a huge deal,” she said. “There has to be a middle ground somewhere, and a middle ground is not a complete ban on the use of anticoagulant rodenticides, but it more than likely will be.”
Honestly? From the University of California? That’s the best idea? A middle ground? Like maybe it’s OK to kill some rats, kill some mountain lions, and have an acceptable number of people get sick and possibly die? Seriously?
You can see why I ask the question – can’t we do better? Not to mention – do we even want to do better? Two of the UC campuses, Berkeley and UCLA are rated as the top public universities in the country by U S News and World Report. And that’s their answer? Find a middle ground? Why not a solution to both sides of the problem?
Do we have to kill mountain lions to get rid of rats?
– the Christian side of the issue
I realize, it’s not exactly popular to admit to being Christian in this country right now. Even though the vast majority of people here claim to be Christian in surveys, the prevailing belief is that we’re not a Christian nation any longer. There’s consequences to it – not being a Christian nation any longer. And saying that is even more unpopular.
However, this whole scenario is just one example of what happens when Christians don’t act like Christians.
Remember this?
Ge 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Ge 1:27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
Ge 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
That means we’re supposed to care for the earth that God created for us. Not destroy it. Not kill off animals.
Sure – one can say it’s to protect ourselves. Protect our own existence. But, as we saw above, is that really true?
Knowledge comes from God. Every Christian should believe that. What we do with that knowledge, that’s another matter. We can use it for something God would approve of. Or not. We could use it to kill mountain lions as collateral damage in our war against rats. Or, we could use it to target just the rats.
Even if we don’t actually have that ability today, it certainly sounds like something entirely within the realm of scientific probability. It’s not way off the mark from other things we’re doing.
What about people?
Aren’t people important? Of course they, we, are. But when there’s a choice, should we not make the best choice? Should that choice not be driven by what we learn as Christians, rather than what we learn about getting as much money as possible? Should our God not be the God of the Bible, rather than the God of politics, that just jokes about the problem. Shouldn’t we have a God other than the God of money?
I’m not someone who believes protecting God’s creation is the single most important thing for Christians to do. That’s actually the Great Commission.
However, I do believe it’s important for us to be that “light on a hill”.
Mt 5:14 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
People watch. And when they see Christians who are more concerned with money than anything else, it sheds a bad light on God. A false light.
The same is true when they see us silent. Like silent as God’s creation is being destroyed. Silent as we allow corporate leaders and politicians to make decisions that are contrary to God’s will.
Yes – this is a fallen world. Stuff like this will happen. But does that mean we’re supposed to retreat and stay quiet?
And no, not every Christian is going to get fired up about every issue. We can’t. There are just too many issues. But remember what Paul wrote about the body of the Church?
One Body, Many Parts
1Co 12:12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
1Co 12:14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
1Co 12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Aren’t there some parts of the Church body – some Christians – who want to, and can, make this a Christian issue? I don’t mean get involved with a politician. I mean make it a Christian issue. We already saw what the politicians are doing with it. And I don’t mean make it a “corporate” issue, as in boycotts or something like that. The problem isn’t the corporation as an entity. It’s the people at the top. Boycott’s hurt the workers – not the decision-makers.
Of course, that means the Capital-C Church, as in all Christians, not an individual denomination, has to do something. That’s hard when there’s so much = hatred between them. Hold onto that thought until you get to the next quote from Jesus, coming shortly.
Do we have to kill mountain lions to get rid of rats?
– the Christian side of the issue – going overboard?
We live in God’s creation. The world He created for us. Isn’t there some part of the Church body that should care enough about this creation to be actively trying to do what God said way back in the beginning?
Ge 1:26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
We are created in God’s image. We live in His creation for us. It used to be very good. Not so after the fall, but that doesn’t mean we’re to just accept it as fallen and let it die completely, does it?
Is this going overboard? Should we just ignore it?
Remember that middle ground? One of the things in the middle of killing the rats and the mountain lions – or not – is us. If we wipe out the rats, presumably the mosquitoes won’t pick up the diseases. Then people won’t catch them when they’re bitten by one of those infected mosquitoes. If we go for any middle ground where some of the rats are allowed to live, then people will catch the diseases. Get horribly sick. And some will die.
Therefore, even if we don’t care about the rest of God’s creation, it’s still about the people who will get sick and possibly die.
I don’t believe that’s going overboard. Especially when God has given us the knowledge and ability to do something better. We have the ability to develop something much more targeted. And it may even be possible today.
Even a non-Christian can see the logic here. With a Christian, it should be more than just the logic. Actually, for everyone, it should be about more than just the logic. It should be about something that truly would be like the light on the hill. Think about this:
Love for Enemies
Mt 5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
If we, as Christians, truly loved our enemies, then we’d care about anyone dying from the poisons we give to rats, that kill the mountain lions. And we’d care about the people who get sick if some of the rats were allowed to live and get infected – who then infect the mosquitoes – who bite people and get them sick. Some of the sick people will die. And we wouldn’t tolerate the middle ground, knowing that there should be a better way.
It’s a nice slogan to say “all you need is love”. It’s a whole other matter to actually do it. But when it’s Christian love – as in the love that Christ has – it really is all you need. It’s just that people don’t see that – because we Christians don’t have it.
So rats and mountain lions die. People get sick, and some die. Because we love money and political games more than we love God’s creation. And more than we love each other.
Image by strichpunkt from Pixabay