After Watching This VIDEO, You Would Want To Be Chased By A Stampede Of Rabbits Too
This video made a big, manly man squeal with joy.
By Mei Mei Chu — 18 Feb 2014, 05:21 PM — Updated over 10 years ago
WATCH the full video of the rabbits on Okunoshima Island swarming a Chinese tourist here:
Okunoshima Island, Also Known As Rabbit Island, Is A Small Island In The Hiroshima Prefecture Of Japan
Ōkunoshima (大久野島) is a small island located in the Inland Sea of Japan in the city of Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture. It is accessible by ferry from Tadanoumi and Ōmishima. There are campsites, walking trails and places of historical interest on the island. It is often called Usagi Jima (ウサギ島, "Rabbit Island") because of the numerous wild rabbits that roam the island; they are rather tame and will approach humans.
The island's many furry little residents have created something of a tourism boom for Ōkunoshima, drawing in thousands of travellers either to take photos of the hordes of bunnies by their feet or to see the island's other attraction: the national Poison Gas Museum.
During World War II, Japanese researchers brought 8 rabbits on to the island as test subjects for toxic gas. The rabbits were released to the wild after the war.
The story goes, Okunoshima island was used by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II to test and manufacture chemical weapons. Supposedly, they used rabbits to test the weapons. When the war was over, the chemical plant was decommissioneed and the rabbits were set free.
americablog.com
For 16 years, Japan's Imperial Army used the island to produce kilotons of deadly mustard gas. The island was selected for its remoteness and in case there was an accident, major cities like Tokyo would be spared from disaster. As with the ugliness of war, Japanese researchers brought rabbits to the island as test subjects for the poison, according to Amusing Planet.
