An article on yourdiy.com really caught my attention. It listed the deadliest animals in each state. These animals either caused the deaths or were somehow related to the deaths of many individuals. Would you be surprised to learn that in eight of our 50 states, man’s best friend isn’t? In AL, AZ, MI, NH, NY, PA, and VA, dogs cause the most deaths. If you are counting, you’ll notice one state missing. OHIO. Yes, according to this article and the CDC, dogs cause more deaths in Ohio than any other animal.
Consider the rest of the list:
Moose: AK and ME
Bear: AR, ID, KY, MT, and WY
Snakes: CA, GA, and MO
Cougar/Bobcats: CO and CT
Coyote: DE, IL, and NJ
Mosquitos: FL
Shark: HI
Deer: IN, MN, MS, NM, UT, and WI
Hornets, bees, and other stinging insects: LA, MD, MA, OR, SC, WA, and WV
Fire Ants: NC and TX
Bison: ND and SD
Tigers: OK – now, that’s an interesting one. It comes from all the escaped tigers from zoos and wildlife preserves.
Spiders: RI and TN
Deer Ticks: VT
Cows: IA, KS, and NE. These are big farming states, and the cows wander freely into the road, providing a road hazard worse than deer in NW Ohio.
Now, this last one I saved intentionally. In the state of Nevada, the deadliest animals are deer mice. Though I am not a fan of rodents, I looked at this little thing and thought it was rather cute. How could it be considered the deadliest critter in Nevada?
Deer mice are responsible of the spread of viruses, namely the hantavirus.1 In humans, this causes hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS). Both are deadly according to the CDC.2
Who would think that something so small and adorable could be so deadly? And that’s exactly how the devil wants us to think about other things life.
The Song of Solomon tells us in 2:15, “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.” And 1 Corinthians 5:6-7 warns, “Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? (7) Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.”
Christians aren’t typically going to get caught up in the big, ugly, horrific looking sins. Those are the sins we immediately identify as dangerous as a rattlesnake, bear, shark, or cougar. Instead, we get caught by the things we deem as harmless – the cows, deer, and the dogs. Or we are deceived by the cute, cuddly little sins that make us think of a little deer mouse. However, sin is SIN, and every sin is lethal.
We cannot allow ourselves to get caught by sin. The signs say, “Don’t Feed The Bears” and “Don’t Feed The Wildlife.” Don’t ignore the warnings. Heed the warnings of God’s Word and keep yourself clear. Don’t “feed” the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.
Otherwise, you are going to get bit and the bite just might be fatal.
1https://yourdiy.com/deadliest-state-animals/1/
2https://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/index.html
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