Ready to book the most adorable vacation ever?
You might want to make a stop in the Bahamas for the island inhabited only by happy pigs, or swing by South Georgia off the coast of Argentina to see an island filled with seal pups, but you can get even cuter than that if you’re up for a longer flight.
Pack your bags and “hop” on over to Okunoshima Island in Japan, otherwise known as “Rabbit Island” for the thousands of rabbits that inhabit it! These wild rabbits have seriously taken over, and visitors can’t get enough of it.
Okunoshima didn’t always have a cute and cuddly past. During World War II, the island — which is just a 12 minute ferry ride from Hiroshima — was used by the Japanese arm to secretly produce a poison gas. It became largely uninhabited by humans or natural rabbit predators, which is how the rabbits have been able to multiply exponentially.
One of the most mysterious parts of Rabbit Island is how the animals got there to begin with. No one is entirely sure, although there are a couple of theories. Some believe that eight rabbits were left on the island by an elementary school who could not afford to take care of them back in 1971. Others believe that the rabbits were brought on the island because they are a cute, cuddly tourist attraction.
However it happened, the rabbits are there to stay. Take a look at them in their natural habitat in Great Big Story's video below, and SHARE with anyone who could use some extra cuteness in their day.
