Memorable rabbits Part 12 Oreo

She spent much of her time alone

While others ate, Oreo just sat there

Early in the morning when everyone was hungry, Oreo did not join the crowd to eat

9/20/26 

She was a fluffy black-and-white rabbit named Oreo. Unlike other friendly rabbits that would approach people in hopes of getting food, Oreo never warmed up to humans—even from a young age—and that very temperament may be the reason she managed to reach adulthood.

Before the rescue, Oreo looked clearly different from how I had seen her before; she was breathing strangely, and I felt a sense of alarm at the fact that she was barely eating. She refused to eat anything but soft food, and even then, the amount she consumed was minuscule.

After the rescue, medical exams revealed that the bones in her nose and ears had dissolved and vanished due to infection. She had virtually no sense of smell, and the diagnosis suggested she likely couldn't hear either, owing to a severe middle-ear infection. Regarding her molars, multiple roots were destroyed, leading to the conclusion that she probably hadn't been able to eat properly.

What must life have been like for Oreo? A world where she could hear nothing. Food that had no scent.

After reading the diagnosis, I finally understood Oreo’s behavior, which had seemed as though she were completely cut off from everything around her. She spent much of her time alone; when eating with others, she would often sit motionless without consuming anything, or—even when she appeared to be eating—she was observed letting the food simply fall from her mouth.

People think of Okunoshima as a petting zoo. However, there are no zookeepers or veterinarians at this "zoo."