Memorable rabbits Part 16 Fly Girl

Fly Girl was truly a sweetheart

Flies were constantly flying all over her body

She was looking upward whenever she had issues with breathing

She seemed to suffer from numerous medical issues.

She was extremely thin

With her partner

Grey rabbit might have been her child

9/26/25   

Memorable rabbits  Part 16

The rabbit I called "Fly Girl" was literally a rabbit with flies buzzing all around her body.

Her emaciated frame suggested she was suffering from a severe illness; no matter how much I fed her, she simply wouldn't gain weight.

Fly Girl’s chest suggested she might be nursing—perhaps she had given birth not long ago. It seemed cruel to force a rabbit in such a state to endure pregnancy and childbirth.

On Okunoshima, where males and females live together, mating and birthing occur constantly; a cycle plays out in which new rabbits are born in rapid succession to replace those that die, effectively providing the tourism industry with a tourist attraction that incurs absolutely no maintenance costs.

Every morning, when we went to feed her, she would look up at us with a heart-wrenching smile that seemed full of joy; seeing it filled me with a mixture of deep affection and an indescribable sadness. I believe Fly girl knew her time was running out. One evening, after finishing her meal, she rose on her frail body and began to walk unsteadily away. As we watched her, she glanced back at us just once before disappearing toward the mountains. Michael said that was her way of saying goodbye. That was the first time I saw Michael shed tears for a rabbit, though he would go on to weep for many more in the years to come.

There are so many rabbits I will never forget. Yet, of them all, it is Fly girl who remains most deeply etched in my heart.