There is an Island where rabbits rule. They are well fed, free from predators, and spend their time lounging around getting photographed by fawning humans. So where is this bunny paradise?
Okunoshima is a small Island located in the Inland sea of Japan in the outskirts of Hiroshima.
It is one of the remotest Islands located in Japan and the Island is accessible by ferry from Tadanoumi and Omishima.
The Island is very unique, and has been a popular destination for holiday makers.
Tourists across the world flock this island to feed the rabbits in the island.
The Island is known as the rabbit Island and is home to the largest number of bunnies in a single place.
These bunnies are known for their friendliness and they approach tourists in large groups to scavenge for food.
The bunnies roam in the forest and pathways, chase tourists and freely live in the island.
And visitors are more than willing to get on the ground and allow the rabbits to crawl all over them.
Every day, the Island is visited by thousands of tourists and is accessible by ferry.
And rabbits outnumber people.
But if you look deep into the Island’s past there is much more attributions to it.
This Island is devoid of human population and whole of it is occupied by the Rabbits.
It is a bit of a mystery how all these bunnies ended up on this tiny island.
But to know that one should dig into the Japanese history of Imperialism.
Omishima is located far away from the mainland Japan and is about 4 kilometre in circumference.
Due to its remoteness, Imperial Japanese Army chooses the place to conduct experiments.
In the year 1925, the Imperial Japanese Army Institute of Science and Technology initiated a secret program to develop chemical weapon.
Japanese Imperial Army manufactured thousands of tons of poison gas during the World War II in a facility and they secretly removed the island from all Japanese maps.
According to the historians, poisonous –mustard gas, Phosgene were produced in the island in large quantity.
And it was used by the imperial Japanese Army against the civilians in the World War II.
In the aftermath of the war the army took control of the Island and destroyed the manufacturing units.
And the ruined buildings still remain as the statue symbol of Japanese haunting past.
Not far away from the old dilapidated buildings, a museum was constructed in the year 1988.
It was established in order to alert about the dreadful truth about poisonous gas.
The museum will provide the information about the building of the gas plant and the working condition and the dreadful effects of poisons on humans.
RABBIT A MYSTERY
The huge population of rabbit found in the Island is a mystery, some claim that the rabbit that live there are of the test bunnies that were freed by the workers at the end of the war.
But for many that is less convincing. It has been reported that all the rabbits were killed when the factory was ceased after the end of the World War.
However, another theory looks more convincing and it is that eight rabbits were brought to the island by schoolchildren in 1971.
And they bred exponentially and reach to their current population in thousands.
Due to the large population of rabbits the government has put some restrictions; the island is preserved as a predator-free zone.
Officials have banned cats and dogs from the island in a bit to protect the rabbits, and tourists come from around the world to capture photos of them being mobbed by the furry inhabitants.
Today, rabbit is the main tourist attraction of the island, you can see people from all walks of life come to the Island and spend time with these animals.
Rabbit Island is fast becoming a popular tourist attraction and is very popular in the social network sites like Facebook and YouTube.
The rabbit island truly lives up to its name and is home to thousands of rabbits, and all of them lost their fear of humans. And now they see humans as a primary source for food.
As soon as the ferry docked at the jetty, the rabbits started hopping towards the people trooping off the ferry.
Visitors are allowed to carry food to tame the bunnies, most people bring their own cabbage and carrots to feed the animal.
Well, if your idea of a great time is lying down in the sun while being smothered by a herd of cuddly rabbits then this place is really it.
