A Japanese outcrop is giving new meaning to the term island hopping, with tourists flocking there to be smothered by dozens of bouncing bunnies at once.
An increasingly popular destination for holidaymakers, Rabbit Island is home to hundreds of wild but friendly bunnies who are known to approach tourists in large groups to scavenge for food.
And visitors are more than willing to get on the ground and allow the rabbits to crawl all over them – even though the damp patches on their clothes suggest the adorable animals have wet feet and potentially answered the call of nature while jumping all over their new friends.
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Tourists are flocking to Japan’s Rabbit Island for an opportunity to be smothered by dozens of bouncing bunnies at once
Rabbit Island is home to hundreds of wild but friendly bunnies who are known to approach tourists in large groups to scavenge for food
Visitors to the island, known as Okunoshima, are more than willing to get on the ground and allow the rabbits to crawl all over them
Photographer Paul Brown, from London, said visitors are mobbed the moment they reach into a bag or rustle anything resembling paper
Officially known as Okunoshima, the small island is tucked away in the Inland Sea off the coast of Hiroshima Prefecture.
It’s not known how the island came to be overrun by rabbits, but from 1930 to 1945 it was used as a testing ground for poison and it is thought during that time the test subjects included rabbits.
Officials have banned cats and dogs from the island in a bit to protect the rabbits, and tourists come from around the world to capture photos of themselves being mobbed by the furry inhabitants.
Photographer, Paul Brown, from London, made a special trip to the island while on holidaying in Japan.
Tourists travel to Rabbit Island from around the world to capture photos of themselves being mobbed by the furry inhabitants
Officially known as Okunoshima, the small island is tucked away in the Inland Sea off the coast of Hiroshima Prefecture
From 1930 to 1945 the island was used as a testing ground for poison and it is thought during that time the test subjects included rabbits
Japanese officials have banned cats and dogs from Rabbit Island in a bit to protect the adorable rabbits
The 51-year-old said: ‘Largely unknown until a couple of years ago, Rabbit Island is fast becoming a popular tourist attraction thanks to social network sites like Facebook and YouTube showing crazy pictures and videos of people being mobbed by rabbits for food.
‘The island truly lives up to its name and is home to potentially thousands of rabbits, all of which seem to have lost their fear of humans who they now see as a primary source for food.
‘As soon as the ferry docked at the jetty, the rabbits started hopping towards the people trooping off the ship. Locals ignored them but the visitors immediately stopped to “ooh” and “ah” and reach for their cameras, smart phones or the bags of rabbit food.
Photographer, Paul Brown, from London, made a special trip to the island while on holidaying in Japan
Mr Brown said visitors are mobbed the moment they reach into a bag or rustle anything resembling paper.
He added: ‘It really is an amazing experience to be surrounded by a fluffy mass of cuteness but after a while, as one gets used to the novelty, the surrealness of the situation becomes apparent.
‘Looking at humans writhing with laughter on the ground, literally covered with rabbits is not only a strange sight but put a horror movie soundtrack to the scene and a few screams, and you have the makings of a 1950s B movie to terrorise the kids.
One rumour suggests a school teacher brought rabbits to the island years ago and there are now thousands of descendants
The source of the rabbits remains a mystery, but that doesn’t seem to bother tourists who visit to feed the bunnies and snap photos
With no natural predators on the island, located off Hiroshima Prefecture, the rabbit population has been able to thrive
‘No one seems to know where the rabbits came from. During the period 1930-1945, the island was used as a storehouse and testing ground for poison gas, and the remains of the facilities can still be found on a walk round the island which is truly fascinating.
‘Apparently rabbits were shipped as test subjects but it seems likely they were all destroyed along with the gas in 1945.
‘Another rumour is that a school teacher brought some rabbits for school children to play with and from just a few rabbits, there are now thousands of descendants.
‘Whatever the source, the rabbits continue to thrive as there are no natural predators on the island and cats and dogs are banned.’
