The “Toad Invasion”—A Reminder of Wise Biblical Stewardship

You see, cane toads were introduced into Australia from Hawaii to supposedly control the cane beetle, which damaged sugar cane crops. The thinking went like this: Toads eat beetles, so bring over some toads and they’ll take care of the beetle problem. . . except:

• Cane beetles live in the top part of the sugar cane plant, but toads live on the ground (and can’t jump very well!).
• The toads didn’t really like cane beetles, especially not with an abundance of other insects and small creatures to eat.
• Cane beetles and cane toads are active at different times.

It was a disaster from the start! The toads multiplied out of control—eating everything but what they were supposed to eat, poisoning native species, and upsetting fragile ecosystems—and the beetles continued happily harming crops. Australia is still trying to control the toads! This was a disastrous attempt at biological control.

This is a reminder that the fall has certainly affected everything, so now living things can cause all sorts of problems that man has to work hard to overcome (Genesis 3:17–19). These invasive species are a huge problem in conservation, but what should we do about them?

Ecologist Jessica DeFord recently wrote a fascinating article on the topic for the latest issue of Answers magazine, our multi-award-winning biblical worldview magazine (and I wrote a short article on cane toads and prickly pear cacti—and how a creation scientist was involved in controlling the latter!).

This latest issue also features articles on:

• Raising families in a gender-confused world
• Whether the heavens can declare the age of the earth
• AI chatbots and the Great Commission
• What gemstones can teach about God’s judgment, beauty, and grace
• The latest in science and culture news
• And so much more!

And included with every issue is our 32-page Kids Answers magazine. Kids absolutely love this unique magazine filled with activities, puzzles, fun animal facts, stories, and—most importantly—biblical teaching.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.