Cover image via Travel and Leisure
There's an island where rabbits rule. They're well fed, free from predators, and spend their time chilling and lounging under the sun.
Image via YouTube
Okunoshima, otherwise known as Rabbit Island, is located in Japan's Seto Inland Sea. It has been attracting visitors from all over the world for only one reason: it is home to hundreds of wild rabbits.
Image via Odd Stuff Magazine
These tame and cute little fellas are known to chase down tourists for food
Image via Dailymail
Image via YouTube
Visitors are encouraged to bring food to the rabbits, especially in the winter months when natural food sources are scarce. Rabbit feed can also be purchased at hotels for a low price.
Dogs and cats are strictly forbidden from the island.
We honestly don't mind being swarmed and ambushed by a group of fluffy bunnies…
Image via Marriott Traveler
Image via Travel and Leisure
Image via oddstuffmagazine
"Give me food, human!"
Image via Dailymail
But wait… how did all these rabbits end up in a random island?
The island actually has a dark history behind it.
Between 1929-1945, Okunoshima Island was the site of Japan's secret chemical-weapons-production factory during World War II. The army produced poison gases, which were tested on rabbits.
Some claimed that the rabbits that live there now are relatives from the ones freed from the soldiers when the war ended. Another theory suggests that a number of rabbits were brought to the island by students back in the 1970s.
