Did you know that shark cartilage can cure cancer? Or that the bile of Asiatic black bears can make your hair grow back?

Whether or not you knew that “information” before, forget it right now. It just isn’t true! But that doesn’t stop people around the world from believing that it is.

The vulture isn’t the only animal in danger because of superstition. Many people believe the parts of certain animals can solve their health problems. For example, people kill the endangered pangolin, a four-legged animal that looks like an artichoke. They believe its scales will help human blood flow better. The musk deer has frightening teeth that hang over its lips on both sides. But that’s not why people kill it. People believe the deer’s scent glands will help them fall asleep.

Other kinds of superstitions kill animals too. These killings could lead to horrible results. Millions of bats die every year because they make people think of death or bad luck. But without bats, the world would be full of mosquitos! Another bug-killer, the aye-aye, lives in Madagascar. It has long middle fingers. People believe that if these middle fingers point at you, you will soon die. Many feel so afraid they kill they aye-aye as soon as they see it. But really the aye-aye’s fingers have a simple purpose. The creature uses them to tap a tree trunk. That helps the aye-aye find the tree’s hollow spots where bugs might hide. Then the creature uses the fingers to pull the bugs out.

Every creature God made serves a purpose in the place where it lives. That includes sharks, bears, pangolins, vultures—everything! Understanding why God made each creature can make the world a safer, healthier place. But superstitions do not come from real understanding. They often come from fear.

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. — 1 Timothy 1:7