Did you know that off the coast of Japan, there is a sanctuary known as Rabbit Island?
If you are a lover of the furry mammals, this place might sound like heaven! But don’t let the cute name fool you– Rabbit Island is home to a plethora of ominous secrets that continue to threaten the existence of the bunnies today.
Rabbit Island is located on Okunoshima, a small island in the Seto Inland Sea. But, the island is often regarded as Usagi Shima– which means “Rabbit Island” in English– because of its robust bunny population.
In fact, over one thousand wild rabbits call the island home and enjoy roaming through its abundant fields and forests.
But, just how many wild rabbits ended up in the same place is an entirely different story with various dark theories.
The first harks back to World War II when Okunoshima was utilized as a chemical munitions plant in the manufacturing of tear and mustard gas.
Geneva Protocol did ban the use of these weapons in 1925, but a policy loophole still allowed for the creation and storage of the brutal chemicals.
In turn, the theory suggests that these rabbits were brought to the island and used as test subjects to gauge the effectiveness of the chemicals. Then, the remaining rabbits were supposedly released following the end of WWII and left to live on the island.
Nonetheless, a University of California San Diego Japanese politics professor named Elliss Krauss has denied this rumor and revealed that the American soldiers who liberated the island actually euthanized all rabbits used for experimentation.
Joshua Daniels – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purpose only, not the actual person
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But, if this were true, the question of how that many rabbits ended up on the island still remains.
So, other theories have popped up over the years– including a tall tale that some school children set eight rabbits free on the island during a class field trip. And, with no known predators on the island, the small group was able to multiply into the robust population Rabbit Island is known for today.
Regardless of how the bunnies got to the island, though, they now attract a massive tourist population every single year. Visitors can travel there via a boat from the mainland or stay at the National Park Resort Hotel located on the island. Then, they can interact with the bunnies that roam free throughout the grounds.
Unfortunately, though, the island’s rabbit population is facing a serious threat right now. Since the landscape does not have enough vegetation to sustain the large rabbit population, the furry critters have relied on tourists to feed them.
But, this inconsistent feeding schedule is not optimal for the rabbits’ survival or diet. The animals are often overfed on crowded days and receive little to no food on rainy days when tourists opt not to visit. Plus, the remnants of groundwater contamination from the WWII experiments are another significant concern.
In turn, the rabbits are encouraged to drink from water buckets instead of the ground– which is why tourists are even often asked to refill any empty water buckets they pass while traveling around the island. So, sadly, all of these environmental factors result in the rabbits living shorter life spans of about two years.
Nonetheless, the Rabbit Island population is very culturally significant to Japan. There, rabbits are considered a sign of good luck and are also associated with rebirth and fertility due to the species’ high reproductive rates. Rabbit Island even supports this idea by encouraging hopeful parents to visit the island and soak up the rabbits’ good fortune.
So, if you ever decide to visit Rabbit Island and witness this incredible population of furry friends yourself, be sure to take care of the animals and their environment. Plus, you never know how much good luck you might walk away with.
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