# Rabbit Island



## Chrisdoc

I love this island Okunoshima, I want to go and live there. I love all the bunnies chasing her for the food, how many are there :runningrabbit:

http://dailybunny.org/2014/02/18/new-okunoshima-bunny-video/


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## PaGal

Oh my gosh! I will so join you on that trip! That would be so much fun and exciting and wonderful and....


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## PaGal

I had a few minutes so counted the best I could since there are just so many packed together but at least eighty if you count at the very beginning of the video while on pause.


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## Chrisdoc

I just think this would be heaven as long as they are safe...free roaming all living together...how awesome is that


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## Watermelons

This was brought up last month here as well.
http://www.rabbitsonline.net/f14/i-want-live-78834/


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## PaGal

If I hit the lottery maybe I could open up a shelter for rabbits, have it set up more like the island so the buns could enjoy the freedom of being buns but also be taken care of. Could keep the ones that can't find homes for due to age or what have you. 

Yes, Chris I would offer you a job first. You could play and take care of buns for a living.


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## Nancy McClelland

I wonder how long that has been there. I was in Japan several times in the late sixties and early seventies--would have definitely gone there. We need to set up a tour group.


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## Chrisdoc

Just had to put more links on here, this place is fabulous.

This is so cute, poor guy can´t keep his eyes open

[ame]http://youtu.be/ixuSqrVJyjo[/ame]

Love this one as well, talk about on guard

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkbX-nY8FtE


Loads of videos, I have to find where it is and go there, much remember to take loads of food lol, they sure are hungry rabbits.


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## MikeScone

Nancy McClelland said:


> I wonder how long that has been there.



I did a bit of research on that. 

Apparently the island was used for secret poison gas factories during the second world war. Ruins of the factories remain, with signposts (in Japanese). Although the storage tanks were removed there seems to be a fairly extensive underground complex which is inaccessible due to the danger. The soil on the island is fairly badly contaminated in some places by toxic waste materials from the factories, so there are no full time inhabitants (apparently the last was moved out in about 2000). 

The rabbits are descendents of escapees (or releases) from the poison gas tests. There is a hotel for tourists which caters to the tourists who come to see the bunnies, which appears to be providing water bowls and food for the rabbits.


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## ChocoClover

I really want to go there! I want to be mobbed by bunnies.

What surprises me is that the rabbits seem to be really healthy. They don't look like they have mites, matted fur, or anything bad on their coats. There must be good food on the island, no predators, and few rabbit-borne insects and diseases.


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## BaileyBoy

I wish I could go there and save all the bunnies. I watched a few of the videos, and you can see how dirty they are. I heard some sneeze, so they are also clearly suffering from respiratory issues. The fact that they will enthusiastically chase people down the street for snacks shows how absolutely starving and human dependent they are. Makes me sad. I just want to set up a rescue shelter there and help them all and find them loving homes.


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## BaileyBoy

I've even seen videos of those rabbits fighting, and ones with tattered ears. It's not a cheerful place in my opinion. I just wish they could have safe and loving homes


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## Jacky McCarthy

Yeah never going there want to but don’t


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## RWAF

While it may appear idyllic, look closely at the rabbits, at the injuries, ears in particular are obvious, but those rabbits are covered in bites. They are given no veterinary care, many wounds will become infected and the rabbits will die a horrible, painful death. They are not vaccinated, they are not neutered - more fighting (and of course breeding more and more rabbits) and the females will develop cancers

Anybody with pet rabbits will know how easily and how quickly they go downhill if gut stasis starts for whatever reason. These rabbits will get no veterinary care *and they will die*.

Clearly tourists give them all manner of foods that are totally unsuitable so their gut is far more likely to shut down, they are more likely to become bloated. And their teeth aren't going to be great, with no chance of a dental.

Idyllic as it may appear, in fact it's a welfare disaster. The rabbits have been dumped and left to get on with it


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## TreasuredFriend

Margo DeMello and another House Rabbit Society individual visited the island a couple years ago. Margo DeMello showed slides from their visit, at an education event. Not as idyllic as it appears, according to their observations while on the island. Predations, injuries, and no vet treatment received. 

Kindly whisper to your well-cared for bunnies how lucky they are.


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## Augustus&HazelGrace

RWAF said:


> While it may appear idyllic, look closely at the rabbits, at the injuries, ears in particular are obvious, but those rabbits are covered in bites. They are given no veterinary care, many wounds will become infected and the rabbits will die a horrible, painful death. They are not vaccinated, they are not neutered - more fighting (and of course breeding more and more rabbits) and the females will develop cancers
> 
> Anybody with pet rabbits will know how easily and how quickly they go downhill if gut stasis starts for whatever reason. These rabbits will get no veterinary care *and they will die*.
> 
> Clearly tourists give them all manner of foods that are totally unsuitable so their gut is far more likely to shut down, they are more likely to become bloated. And their teeth aren't going to be great, with no chance of a dental.
> 
> Idyllic as it may appear, in fact it's a welfare disaster. The rabbits have been dumped and left to get on with it


This is the reason why I just applied to college to become a vet tech. I'm going over there after I graduate school to help these bunnies!


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## Preitler

Hm. I have a somewhat different view of that.

Once 2 young does escaped me, didn't go far. But they quickly adapted to living in the wild, free, I could have captured them but didn't have the heart to do so. Rabbits are so capable of living their lives without someone who thinks to must care for them. They were around for at least 4 years (I moved away then), had offspring, were rather tame, and simply lived a normal rabbit life, with other rabbits around, with freedom, parasites, and whatnot. I think they had a good life.

That rabbit island, well, they sort their stuff out. I think they live a better life than most pet rabbits that are stored in tiny pet shop hutches. Every single rabbit is going to die (and all of us too), that's not what it's all about, what counts is the life before that. There is no point in projecting our fears on rabbits. Help them? That's not about the rabbits I would say, more about humans.

We have very narrow ideas of how rabbits should be kept, what they should be fed, etc. . That's imho close to disrespecting their abilitys. Sure, some of that rabbits have scars, that's how rabbits sort things out, oh, we dont like to see that, so we preferr to cut off everything that makes them more pleasing to our expectations. 

I'm not going to criticize whoever runs that island. I reckon that our viewpoint we have about pet rabbits is, well, rather wierd in some aspects. 

Sorry, I feel at a loss of words here, not everything translates easily.


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## Baybeemon

Preitler said:


> Hm. I have a somewhat different view of that.
> 
> Once 2 young does escaped me, didn't go far. But they quickly adapted to living in the wild, free, I could have captured them but didn't have the heart to do so. Rabbits are so capable of living their lives without someone who thinks to must care for them. They were around for at least 4 years (I moved away then), had offspring, were rather tame, and simply lived a normal rabbit life, with other rabbits around, with freedom, parasites, and whatnot. I think they had a good life.
> 
> That rabbit island, well, they sort their stuff out. I think they live a better life than most pet rabbits that are stored in tiny pet shop hutches. Every single rabbit is going to die (and all of us too), that's not what it's all about, what counts is the life before that. There is no point in projecting our fears on rabbits. Help them? That's not about the rabbits I would say, more about humans.
> 
> We have very narrow ideas of how rabbits should be kept, what they should be fed, etc. . That's imho close to disrespecting their abilitys. Sure, some of that rabbits have scars, that's how rabbits sort things out, oh, we dont like to see that, so we preferr to cut off everything that makes them more pleasing to our expectations.
> 
> I'm not going to criticize whoever runs that island. I reckon that our viewpoint we have about pet rabbits is, well, rather wierd in some aspects.
> 
> Sorry, I feel at a loss of words here, not everything translates easily.



Agree with what you said. In this rabbit island, they might live better life than some pet rabbits. Better than those that live in small cages or being isolated or even constantly getting breed for their babies while staying in the small cages. Of course, many also live worst than pet rabbit. But this is just part of life.

Like human ourselves, there are those that living a great life but also some who aren't or there are even some that we thought our life is better than theirs but in actual fact they are truly happy that they aren't leading our life.

Actually no one run this island (not very sure) . From what i know no entrance fee is needed to enter this island, the only people benefit from this island will be people who open hotel in the island.

I never been there before. Seen videos of bunnies that look pretty healthy but also seen videos of rabbit losing 1/3 of the ear , badly wound with infection and some infested with fur mites. But i guess that is part and puzzle of life.

Being human, I think it is still nice that people want to help them. I have no words to describe this place. It will never become an animal nature conversation since nothing is nature here yet i can't say that they suppose to be pet rabbit. All I can say, the only help they can receive is when a private group have the resources to provide veterinary care for the bunnies just to help the injured. Of course if this happens, I think their life is much better that many many pet bunny, enjoy freedom with good health and not being exploit by human.


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## Baybeemon

Anyway, most probably this island is suffering from rabbit overpopulation too, I think the nature vegetation are running out. So...I think the bunnies need to heavily depend on human for their food.


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