Travel

Japan's bunny island under threat from predarors

Feb 17 (insider.com) - Japan's famous 'rabbit island' is home to 900 wild bunnies - but tourists are bringing so much food to the island that the animals now face a life-threatening crisis.

Ōkunoshima, also known as "rabbit island", is a popular tourist attraction in Japan with over 100,000 visitors every year.

Less than 44 miles away from Hiroshima, tourists flock to the island for its beaches, hot springs, and most importantly its wild rabbits.

Known for being home to over 900 adorable wild bunnies, the island's fluffy residents are now facing a life-threatening crisis.

Tourists visiting the island have been bringing too much food to feed the rabbits and often leaving the leftovers behind. The leftovers have started to attract predators from nearby shores. Due to a significant number of visitors ignoring city administrators' feeding guidelines, some of the rabbits are also weak and unwell from being fed the wrong diet. Tourists often offer lettuce and carrots, instead of the pelleted food, grass, and vegetables that they should be eating. ...continue reading

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