The world shared a sigh of relief last month, when the U.S. stood down from launching military strikes against Iran. That region is so volatile, it wouldn’t take much to spark full-fledged war. And it wouldn’t be the first time we wound up in a conflict no one wanted.

America has gone to war for a variety of reasons over the years. The American Revolution was about winning independence, and World War I was about “making the world safe for democracy.” But never have we fought a war over an animal — yet we almost did in 1859.