The Bunnies of Ōkunoshima.

     

I’m sure most people have heard about animal islands that surround the Earth. Considering I’ve spoken on this subject before (mainly because I found it intriguing), I figured I’d share the information I had recieved by studying and learning about the infamous “Bunny Island”, Ōkunoshima. Although Japan has three animal islands, Ōkunoshima stood out the most to me, mainly because of the historical value that was revealed while researching this topic.

First of all, what’s not to love about cute little bunnies hopping around on an island? Luckily for the rabbits, they’re the only creatures who inhabit the island. From what was learned, no people live on the island, there is only a hotel that vistors may stay while visiting. The hotel’s name is Kyukamura, and they provide meals as well as food to provide to the rabbits.

(The island of Ōkunoshima is located where it is shown on this map of Japan.)

Ōkunoshima island was originally used for off the chart testing of poison gas and chemicals during World War II. The island wasn’t on any maps yet so no one could find their testing facilities. It was said that they tested on the bunnies there, even though the rabbits we’re said to have been put down, but no one knows for sure. Because of the testing there, the water became contaminated to this day because of arsenic.

There are three main theories of how so many bunnies populated the island are that of course, what one would assume, the rabbits got loose from the testing facility, or were released from it and bred out. The second theory was that school children released around eight bunnies and left them on the island to reproduce in the 1970’s. And the last main theory was that an old man carried with him two rabbits onto the island and like the school children, left them there to breed which are relatives of those original two rabbits.

Although we aren’t too certain on how all of these rabbits came to be on the island, everyone seems to care less about where they came from, and more about the fun in it. Being able to feed and pet multiple and multiples of rabbits that are greeting you is a wonderful place to spend your vacation.