In Japan, the island of ÅŒkunoshima has become a well-known tourist attraction. However, the popularity of this island may not be for reasons that you would typically expect from a tourist spot. The main attraction of ÅŒkunoshima island are the adorably, fluffy rabbits which scamper all about the area.
The island served as a secret military installation in World War II. The Japanese used the island to produce poisonous gas. Because the island was far enough from the major cities, the army believed it would be the perfect location to experiment with dangerous mustard gas.
Unfortunately, the story gets rather sad here. Rabbits were brought onto the island as test subjects for the poison. At the end of WWII, the facility was shut down and the rabbits were released into the wild.
According to the Los Angeles Times, it is said that only eight rabbits were released into the wild by school children, but with the predator-free environment, the bunnies multiplied and became a group of over 300.
The rabbits, who have become so accustomed to humans that they have no problem hopping into human arms, gave the island its popular nickname.
In the following video, a young girl is seen attracting a swarm of bunnies. Needless to say, it’s too cute not to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ThAvnJVSUo
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