Rabbit Island, located East of Hiroshima, is a small gateway where literally hundreds of rabbits roam about freely. Many people are curious as to why this destination is overrun by rabbits. If you go to social media, you are likely to find several clips of the rabbits chasing visitors for food or just playing among themselves.
The island itself is about 15 minutes from the main island by ferry. The island is so small that you can walk around it in about an hour and a half.
The curious thing is that the island is shrouded in mystery. There is no information as to how the rabbits got there. But there is a good bit of lore such as the rabbits were brought there. Some say they were used as the subject of chemical tests, or that they were brought there for some other nefarious reason. The only real truth is that the population continues to grow and anywhere from 700 to 1,000 rabbits inhabit the island today.
Rabbit Island does not have an active human population per se. It does, however, have the Kyukamura Resort and a gas museum, which is operated by a few dozen people.
While Rabbit Island is a popular destination, some researchers say there is a danger that can cause huge problems for the rabbit population. Margo DeMello, who heads the California-based House-Rabbit Society, says a popular video of a Tiktoker being stampeded — in a friendly manner — by a tourist, changed the entire landscape.
“Most of the tourists were elderly people gently petting the bunnies and really using the island for the hot springs. After the video went viral in 2014, thousands of tourists outside the country are visiting,” says DeMello.
DeMello says many people don’t know what the rabbits really need to eat. On some occasions, they feed them potato chips and other snacks that are not healthy. Even the ones who attempt to feed them in a healthy manner are supplying them with foods that are doing damage to their digestive system.
Cabbage, in particular, is one food that rabbits do not need. Some people believe that merely because it is a vegetable — and rabbits love carrots and lettuce — it is okay. In fact, it’s not. Cabbage is poisoning the rabbits’ already delicate digestive system which is not equipped to break it down.
The rabbits really need foods that are high in fiber to keep them healthy. Thankfully, a number of practices have been called into question and stopped altogether. The hotel no longer encourages visitors to give the rabbits rabbit feed. There are also posted signs discouraging individuals from feeding them at all.
Because the rabbits are pretty much on their own when it comes to getting fed, they may go many days without eating. They also populate in areas where humans occupy to get fresh food and water. Many of them also suffer from injuries and illnesses they get through human contact.
DeMello says it pains her that the bunnies are struggling. Their life expectancy is only about two years. It would be as high as ten years if they were living in a more domesticated situation.
As it stands now, no one is certain about the future of the rabbits. While the population is growing, the rabbits, individually, aren’t thriving as they should.
Japan’s Ministry of Environment Takashi Seki says they are looking into a number of plans for how to deal with the situation. But he adds that the hotel is the entity that dictates what happens.
“Trying to figure out how people and the rabbits can co-exist is the issue. We are still trying to tackle this,” says Seki.