- [Narrator] Okinoshima Island is a short 12 minute
ferry ride from Hiroshima region of Japan.
While the sandy and palm-lined beaches are perfect
for holiday makers, the island draws crowds
for a different reason: rabbits.
Lots of 'em.
And how they got there is a mystery.
(upbeat music)
(playful music)
Between 1929 and 1945, Japanese armies
secretly produced over 6,000 tons of poison gas
on Okinoshima Island.
Some believe the current rabbits are descendants
of those brought to the island to test the gas.
But the current director of the Poison Gas Museum
insists these bunnies have nothing to do with those
from the World War II era.
So where do they come from?
- [Narrator] One theory.
- [Narrator] So those rabbits were released
and with no real predators,
they bred like, well, like rabbits.
And yet another theory.
- [Narrator] Either way, this new generation
of feral rabbits has the run of the land.
They're creating a new story separate
from the sordid past of Okinoshima Island.
An island once known for death is now known
for possibly the cutest thing ever: bunnies.
(playful music)