The Japanese island of Okunoshima, inhabited only by rabbits, is an island visited by tourists from all over the world. The island, where there are thousands of rabbits, is flooded with tourists. Those who come to the island feed the rabbits and have a good time with them. The island, which looks like a paradise from the outside, has a very dark past. The island caused the death of millions of people in its time.
Okunoshima Rabbit Island, World War II. It is a place where poison gas was secretly produced during World War II. They used rabbits to test the toxic gases produced here. The people involved in the project were sworn in on the confidentiality of this issue. In this regard, the state even ensured that the island was deleted from the map, thus ensuring high level of secrecy. This experiment lasted approximately 16 years. The poisonous mustard gases produced on the island were used during Japan’s invasion of China, causing the death of over 80,000 people.
By the end of the Second World War, the army was defeated and the experiments were over. The rabbits used in the experiment remained free. However, the American army invading the island killed more than 200 rabbits kept on the island. The Japanese Government has never cleared the entire Island. It was most likely thought that enough poison was mixed into the water supply in the area that could kill the island rabbits.
However, in 1971, a group of students who came to the island left 8 rabbits that they brought with them to the island. It is assumed that the 8 rabbits left reproduced over time, resulting in thousands of rabbits. There is a possibility that the remaining rabbits from the experiment may have survived.
It is estimated that the number of rabbits living on the island in 2007 was 300. However, as the entrance to the island is prohibited and there is no hunting, this number has increased day by day. The number of rabbits, which has reached very high amounts today, poses a great danger. There is not enough vegetation on the island for the rabbits, whose population is increasing day by day. Many visitors come to the island to feed the rabbits, but it is not enough. If it continues in this way, it is estimated that large rabbit deaths may occur.
It is also possible to see the traces of the war on the island. There are demolished old buildings and the Poison Gas Museum. Although visitors to the island come especially for rabbits, it is possible to visit this museum. It is an island that attracts serious tourists. For this reason, it is said that the Japanese Government is working on the continuation of the rabbit population.
