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We called her "fly girl" as this female rabbit had flies constantly flying all around her You could tell she was extremely sick She was the sweetest rabbit I ever met on Ohkunoshima 10/11/25 There used to be a sick female rabbit at pier 2 of Ohkunoshima back in summer of 2022. We used to call her Fly Girl. She had the black rabbit as her partner but flies were constantly flying all over her body. We suspected she had issues with her intestines. She was abnormally underweight and her backbone was even sticking out. No matter how much she ate, she seemed to be losing weight. We provided food and water twice a day and she started to wait for us as if she knew she would get to eat. After one week or so, one early evening, after being fed, she staggered to her feet and looked back once at us and left. Michael said that was her goodbye to us. It was my first time to see Michael cry for rabbits. We never saw her again and her partner was seen by himself afterwards. We continued to take care of rabbits and witnessed countless rabbits pass away from sickness and injuries over the years. As we don’t live in Japan, rescuing any of those sick rabbits was not an option for us. People who responded to my June 2024 post about the rabbit with huge tumor on her left ear are the people we currently work with as Rescue Team. We are forever grateful to them for rescuing Ran chan and giving her new life. After 1 year of rescue activities, to be able to see rescued rabbits make full recovery and find new homes is extremely rewarding. The moment you can feel the rescue was the right thing to do. However, to lose them during medical treatments is too painful to endure than watching rabbits pass away on the island. A lot of sleepless nights from regrets not rescuing them sooner and felt responsible for them to get better. The team has been able to gain more participants and we feel we were able to hand off to @her.name.is.mercedes, who visited the island last month. We will continue to post about Ohkunoshima rabbits as we need to be the voice of these rabbits suffering on this island. Not only awareness campaign, we need to drive changes for the island so rabbits don’t have to suffer any longer.We’d appreciate your continuous support for the Rescue Team as you did in the past. Team, thank you for your efforts and achievements. You guys are true heroes. We will be rooting for you all as always.

No one knew how sick Oreo (Clara chan) was Nasal and middle ear osteolysis, high probability of hearing loss, missing molars, severe Pasteurellosis. 9/25/25 I first laid eyes on Oreo around late February 2024. She was a fluffy black-and-white rabbit. She was likely born near the building situated on the ocean side of the swimming pool. I often saw her darting back and forth from the vicinity of the wire fence toward the open plaza. What on earth is that? As a baby, Oreo looked like a tiny black-and-white furball tumbling across the ground in the wind; yet, I quickly realized she was, in fact, a young rabbit. She never approached humans—always fleeing instead—which is precisely why I wasn't able to take a single photograph of her during her early days. This skittish nature, however, proved to be a blessing for her survival on the island. It is said that fewer than 10% of the rabbits on the island live long enough to celebrate their first birthday; moreover, while most of the rabbits born by the poolside were invariably snatched up by crows, Oreo managed to grow up safe and sound. When I met her for the second time—that same year, in June—I heard that she had been given the name "Oreo" due to his distinctive coloring. Her wary attitude toward humans remained unchanged. Yet, believing that such wariness was actually beneficial for a long life on the island, I would leave out some food for her and watch from a distance; I remember how she would eat it with evident relish. One thing that hadn't changed was her tendency to flee the moment I tried to take a close-up photograph. By the time I met her for the third time—in February 2025—she had fully matured into an adult, and her striking appearance made her a particularly conspicuous figure among the rabbits. On that occasion, the only image I retain is of her eating amidst the general crowd. Even then, she stood in stark contrast to the many other rabbits who would suddenly turn friendly just to get their paws on some food. Oreo I saw this time, however, was clearly a different rabbit than the one I had seen before. She was breathing strangely—a sign of a nasal infection—and I felt a surge of alarm upon realizing that she was barely eating anything at all. When I offered her some pellets, she would turn her face away with a dismissive gesture; while she would eat carrots cut into matchstick-sized strips, the amount she consumed was—compared to the other rabbits—incomparably meager. Mustering the courage to reach out and touch her, I was left aghast: her body was emaciated, and I could feel her bones protruding sharply beneath her fur. "If things go on like this... She's going to die." Following her rescue, medical examinations revealed that the bones in both her nose and ears had completely dissolved and vanished due to infection. It was determined that she possessed almost no sense of smell, and—suffering from severe otitis media—she likely could not hear anything either. Furthermore, the diagnosis indicated that the roots of several of her molars had been destroyed, suggesting she had been unable to consume adequate food. What must have been going through Oreo’s mind as she lived like that? A life where she could hear nothing. Food that held no scent. Looking back now, Oreo’s behavior—which often seemed as though she were completely cut off from everything around her—makes perfect sense. She spent much of her time alone; even when gathered with the others to eat, she would often simply sit motionless without touching her food. Videos even captured moments where, despite making the motions of eating, the food would simply fall right back out of her mouth. Like so many other rabbits on Okunoshima Island, Oreo, too, contracted an infection that gradually ravaged her body—all without anyone ever noticing. What must her life have been like during those one year and seven months on the island? A daily struggle to simply survive and eat while her body was slowly being consumed by disease? In the days leading up to her departure from the island, Oreo looked utterly exhausted just by his mere presence there. There is no doubt that she suffered terribly. I wish... I wish we could have rescued her sooner. Once again, another rabbit—one who was cherished by so many people—has crossed over to join the "Moonbeam Brigade." I want everyone to know the reality of how the rabbits on Okunoshima Island meet their end. Is it truly acceptable to let things continue this way?

Fracture of the right foreleg; severe pneumonia; severe pasteurellosis; inflammation of the external and middle ear; laceration of the left ear caused by a sharp object He had to be hospitalized for one month to treat his conditions 9/17/25 Criticism—specifically the accusation that we are "tearing families apart"—is sometimes leveled against our efforts to rescue injured and ailing rabbits on Okunoshima Island. However, once a rabbit sustains an injury, it becomes so profoundly timid—to the point where one might think its very personality has changed—that it flees at the mere approach of other rabbits. The surrounding rabbits, too, show absolutely no mercy toward an injured, vulnerable individual. While there are rare instances of injured females managing to avoid attack within the safety of the group, the ultimate fate of an injured rabbit is typically wretched—a cruelty so harrowing that it is almost unbearable to witness. Rabbits are by no means strictly faithful to a single partner. They frequently take multiple partners, and should a partner pass away, they appear to face no difficulty whatsoever in finding a new one.As is common among many herd-dwelling animals, seeking out a new partner is likely just a natural, routine part of life in the wild. Those individuals who have been visiting the island for years—often referred to as Usakatsu (rabbit enthusiasts)—seem to harbor a unique emotional attachment to the rabbits. I believe they are deeply moved by a sense of "familial bonding"—a bond they perhaps failed to find in the human world (the sight of a cute rabbit grooming a family member likely resonates deeply with them)—and they have come to view these specific interactions as representative of the entire reality of the island's rabbit population. I am not suggesting that it is wrong to be moved by such scenes of rabbit behavior. However, I feel that they have become so beguiled by the rabbits' charming appearance—and so consumed by this romanticized fantasy—that they have lost sight of their moral obligation, as human beings, to assist animals in need. Rabbits are not human beings. They are incapable of sustaining complex emotions—the kind that humans experience—over any extended period. When "Ran-chan," a rabbit rescued in July 2024, was placed in an air-conditioned vehicle and began eating delicious treats she had never tasted on the island, did she spare a single thought for her companions back home? Did she think, "If I leave the island, I’ll never get to see everyone again"? She possesses neither the cognitive capacity nor the emotional depth to experience such sentiments, and she certainly displayed no outward signs of doing so. I believe that those who oppose the removal of rabbits from the island identified this particular narrative—the "tearing families apart" storyline—as the one most likely to garner public sympathy; they chose to thrust it to the forefront of the debate, attempting to "protect" the island by casting aspersions upon the rescue team. I have spent the past year navigating the world of social media, enduring an atmosphere so hostile that it felt driven by a personal vendetta—a determination to crush us at any cost. Yet, throughout it all, our rescue team has continued its work, always putting the rabbits first. This is because humans are the only ones capable of saving them; if the authorities will not step in, then it falls to concerned volunteers to do so. I wish to put an end to these childish squabbles once and for all. Nothing positive can ever emerge from such conflict. The behavior displayed by some of our detractors—such as interrogating someone simply because they "liked" one of our posts, or deliberately ignoring us when we cross paths on the island—is truly baffling. It goes beyond mere surprise; I am utterly dumbfounded that people nearing the age of sixty could act with the maturity of middle schoolers. I implore them to stop.Rather than engaging in such antics, they should be channeling their energy into lobbying the authorities to improve the conditions for the rabbits. I also wish they would cease their petty maneuvering—such as fawning over the administration—in a desperate bid to secure a seat on the Rabbit Subcommittee. In fact, the Ministry of the Environment’s selection process for that very subcommittee remains deeply unconvincing to me. Over the years that the administration failed to implement any meaningful measures, the ecosystem of Okunoshima has undergone a drastic transformation. Lately, I find myself constantly wondering what the next year or two will hold. Is there anyone out there who is truly concerned about the future of the rabbits on Okunoshima? What, if anything, will the administration actually do? We cannot simply leave this in the hands of others. We must all join forces to demand that both Takehara City and the Ministry of the Environment take action to improve the welfare of the rabbits. If things continue on their current path, the fate of the island is already sealed: the rabbits will once again be abandoned—or worse, their very existence will fade into obscurity until they vanish from sight entirely.

Sora with multiple medical issue before resuce 800g Kuran rescued for leg injury but actually had chronic hepatitis and pulmonary edema. She suddenly passed away after rescue. a rabbit with left leg injury 9/16/25 “Living Freely, Carefree, and Happily” Tourists often find it adorable—and exciting—to see rabbits rushing toward them, devouring the food offered to them with such gusto, and this leaves them feeling that they want to return to visit again. However, the tourists who come to Okunoshima Island are under a misconception. They likely judge that the rabbits are living happily based solely on the impressions formed during their own brief visits to the island; but have they ever witnessed the rabbits’ condition during the scorching heat of summer? Michael and I have personally witnessed rabbits dying from heatstroke. The more time one actually spends on the island, the less likely one is to claim that these rabbits are living a happy life. The reason they rush toward people is simply that they are hungry—and because they know they must snatch up food faster than anyone else, as there is no guarantee of when their next meal might come. Due to their cute appearance, this behavior creates a false impression among tourists. I believe the misconception that they are “living freely and without restraint” stems from the fact that they are seen running around the island. In reality, however, they live within territories of a specific, limited size. Within these territories, a clear social hierarchy exists; weaker rabbits live in constant fear, struggling desperately just to get their paws on some food. This is precisely why one often encounters rabbits with torn ears, scratched eyes, or lacerated skin. When hunger reaches a critical point, a rabbit may cross territorial boundaries indiscriminately; when this happens, it is attacked by the boss of that territory—or by other rabbits within it. These attacks are not limited to mere chases; in some cases, they escalate into life-and-death struggles, leaving the victim severely injured—sometimes even resulting in death. Even if the island’s rabbit population were to decrease, the fighting would not cease. This is because the rabbits’ deeply ingrained territorial instincts remain unchanged. Even within the same territory, fights frequently erupt over female rabbits. Instances where rabbits were truly living together harmoniously—like a family—were few and far between. While it is true that highly social rabbits tend to form partnerships, they do not necessarily remain together for life in the way that certain bird species do. Observing the sight of rabbits sitting together, people concoct and share all sorts of sentimental stories. Yet, the reality is far harsher: should a rabbit sustain an injury, its companions will cast it out; in some cases, they will even prevent young kits from approaching their food source, effectively starving them to death. Rabbit society is not nearly as idyllic as it appears. Some might argue that such behavior is inevitable because these are "wild" rabbits; however, isn't this social structure merely the result of domestic rabbits being abandoned in the wild? They are not truly wild rabbits—far from it. To put it bluntly, the existence of the rabbits on Okunoshima is simply the product of being left completely unchecked and neglected. Diseases run rampant; while the rabbits may experience brief periods of remission, sooner or later their conditions inevitably worsen, bringing their short lives to a tragic end. Tourists, seeking a photo of themselves holding a rabbit, will lift the animals into the air; the rabbits struggle to break free, fall to the ground, and suffer broken bones. Children chase the rabbits relentlessly—whether in broad daylight or the pitch-black of night—and, with grim inevitability, trample them underfoot, causing fractures. I firmly believe that continuing to leave these rabbits to fend for themselves merely to attract tourists—and the irresponsible behavior of those tourists who chase the animals—amounts to nothing less than animal cruelty. I implore you: do not turn a blind eye to the fact that these rabbits have become victims of human self-indulgence. Okunoshima absolutely must change.

Ran chan on the island before rescue 4/14/25 Rabbits run up to you. That behavior is exactly what entices people to keep coming back to Ohkunoshima. But, if you really think about this, they run up to you simply because they are hungry, not that they love you. I asked rabbit owners who commute to this island a question many times. Why do you come to this island? You already own rabbits(s) at home? They told me, these rabbits are special. They make me feel they need me. They heal me. They know rabbits on the island don’t live in the most desirable environment. Harsh weather conditions, constant threat by their predators and prevalent diseases on the island, but regular commuters seem to justify themselves thinking these rabbits live freely and live happily with their family. That’s how YOU justify this situation. You know how tough it is to live there. They never get to live long lives and you accept it as is. You want to keep this place as is as you feel good being needed by these rabbits. That’s your self satisfaction. That’s not for rabbits’ welfare. Ran chan rescued in July ’24 used to put as many pellets as possible into her mouth. She wanted to eat as much as possible as she doesn’t know how much and when she gets to eat next time. That’s understandable. Once rescued, Ran chan was a new rabbit after 3 months later. Without gigantic ball size tumor on her ear, she looked more like a regular rabbit. What surprised me the most was, she no longer was aggressive with food. Knowing she gets to eat good food anytime changed her behavior altogether. I felt this is the way most house rabbits behave in their living environment. She was still excited to see an apple puree package which was her favorite while on the island and gobbled it down in no time. What do you do for these rabbits on Ohkunoshima? Or are you simply going there for your own fun?

baby rabbit with broken foot adult rabbit with swollen foot 3/3/25 What changed in the last 8 months since Ran chan was rescued? Tourists’ behavior did not change. Nothing changed in the last 12 years. They feed raw vegetables and make them sick. They chase rabbits, step on them causing injuries. All these rabbits ultimately died. What changed is behavior by specific people who regularly visit this island, called “usa katsu” (People involved in caring for rabbits) Slanders by these people involved name calling such as North Korean abductor, killer, fraud, black ship (referring to Commodore Perry from USA), use of abducted rabbits for selling rabbits. This smear campaign was far worse than bullying in schools and used SNS for manipulation. They post fake info about us and change setting not to allow us to make comments. They ask us questions and criticize we don’t even answer knowing we can’t. You will never know what’s truth unless you can validate the truth yourself. Spiteful bullying out of the island reminds me of village ostracism. We were watched by multiple people during our stay and created a bizarre scene. They enforce gag order to other pro-rescue “usa katsu” by psychological pressure and concealed sick and injured rabbits. Brainwashing new “usa katsu”.All these sneaky moves done by people with love for rabbits. They think they can protect their playground by destroying us. What about rabbits? They should be negotiating with the Ministry of Environment and Takehara city to make changes for these rabbits instead of blocking us from rescue attempts. We will continue our efforts for awareness of this exploitation of rabbits and no care in spite of sickness and injuries. No efforts, no change.

Purin chan who had cancer on her back and tumor on her abdomen Pururu (Cheeky) chan had periapical abscess, lung abscess and dissolved jawbone 1/2/25 There are folks who strongly believe in not interfering with life of wild animals because they believe interference may result in disruption in ecosystem. These people do not feed wild life and do not rescue wild animals. That is the idea of ‘let the nature be nature’. However, most people who come to Ohkunoshima don’t fit in this category. They provide water and food, which clearly indicates they deeply care about them. These rabbits are offspring of house rabbits dumped many years ago and they often get sick/injured due to accidents by humans, predators and environment of the island. Just like other animals in the wild, sick/injured ones get ousted from their groups and sometimes result in death. It’s such a shame most people give up the idea of saving these rabbits thinking they belong to the island. I really hope rabbits who are in desperate need will be rescued as they are not true wild rabbits who are better equipped to live in the wild. The Ministry of Environment gave “go ahead” for medical treatment as an exception for “no rabbits off the island” and Ran chan and other rabbits were rescued. All of them had more serious conditions and it was too late to save Purin and Pururu(Cheeky). But there are rabbits who made full recovery and living happily today. Your donation with best hope for their welfare made it possible to provide advanced medical care. Please give rabbits who are suffering a second chance in life.

Visi chan getting emergency care Visi chan suffering from unknown condition on the island 9/27/24 My older brother was a doctor. While on duty, he contracted COVID-19 through an in-hospital infection, developed pulmonary fibrosis, and passed away after a year-long battle with the illness. This disease is incurable, and the prognosis for survival is extremely short. Even with the aid of machines to boost his oxygen levels, he told me—while he was still able to speak—that he constantly felt as if he were drowning; the agony was so intense that he could think of nothing else but the struggle to breathe. He had faced the deaths of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of patients throughout his career and surely believed he understood their suffering well enough; yet, it seems that the anguish he experienced when he found himself in their shoes was an unbearable torment he truly grasped for the very first time. He wished to be euthanized, but his request was denied; he eventually became bedridden and incontinent, and—feeling stripped of his human dignity—he continued to suffer until the very end, when he finally passed away. In early June, I discovered a rabbit in front of the visitor center, writhing in convulsions. Its condition deteriorated rapidly before my eyes; it could neither eat nor drink, and it appeared to be on the verge of death—it seemed it would not last much longer. I placed it in a box and set it aside next to the visitor center, shielded from public view. However, the next day—more than 27 hours after I had first found it—it was still alive. It was clearly suffering, and feeling that I could not simply leave it there, my husband and I boarded a Shinkansen bullet train to take it to an animal hospital that was open on a Sunday. During the train ride, its condition worsened further; maggots began to emerge from its face, and I had to use my fingers to pick them off to prevent them from getting into its eyes. I got the distinct impression that the veterinarian treated us somewhat coldly, perhaps because the patient in question was a rabbit from Okunoshima Island. The animal was already in a critical, near-death state; the hospital refused to admit it for inpatient care, and it received only very basic, minimal treatment. Yet, the rabbit clung to life. I asked the vet, "If there is no hope for recovery, could you please perform euthanasia?" The vet replied, "The fact that you brought it all the way here suggests that you want to do everything possible to save it. If you simply wanted to have it euthanized, wouldn't it have been better to just leave it back on the island?" At that moment, a horrific image flashed through my mind: the rabbit—still alive, despite being on the brink of death—being devoured by crows or wild boars. I felt, with absolute certainty, that that would have been the far more cruel fate. I felt it was inhumane. In the end, the rabbit died several hours later, having suffered throughout. For some reason, I found myself overcome by a sensation that the rabbit’s plight was eerily mirroring that of my brother. It was at that moment that I realized just how vast the difference is between the situation in the United States—where relieving an animal of its suffering when recovery is hopeless is recognized as a humane act—and the situation in Japan.

a rabbit with leg injury 9/12/24 Many tourists visit Ohkunoshima (rabbit island) because of rabbits. The number of visitors often exceed the number of rabbits on weekends and holidays. As a result, many rabbits suffer from injuries and sickness but no place to treat these rabbits on the island. After Ranpu chan(rabbit with huge tumor on the ear) was rescued from island, we’d like to continue to save rabbits that need help. Currently, rabbits are not allowed to come back to island after medical treatment and that is preventing efforts to save them. Please a DM to @her.name.is.mercedes on Instagram. if you’re interested in adopting Ohkunoshima rabbits. Please feel free to spread the word. Thank you.

baby rabbit with GI stasis 6/14/24 The day will eventually come when there are no longer any rabbits left on Okunoshima. This will not be due to wild boars, crows, hawks or rats. It will be because of humans. Humans are the root cause. Of course, these animals do prey on the rabbits. However, the reason they are able to prey on them is that humans feed the rabbits—especially the young ones—excessive amounts of raw vegetables; this causes gas to build up in their stomachs, leaving them immobilized by pain, and as a result, their natural predators can catch them with ease. There are also instances where humans accidentally step on the rabbits—particularly children—causing fractures that render the rabbits unable to move. Furthermore, the rabbits on the island are afflicted with a wide variety of infectious diseases. Their average lifespan is a mere one year—two years at most. The young rabbits are easily picked off by predators, while the adults succumb to illness. This is the reason why the rabbit population is plummeting. To halt this decline, it is crucial that the young rabbits are able to grow up safely. Yet, why do people continue to bring large quantities of cabbage and carrots to feed to the young rabbits? It will inevitably lead to their deaths. Please stop doing this. Additionally, please supervise your children to ensure they do not run around blindly. If you do not, the day will surely come when the rabbits vanish from this island forever. (The rabbit pictured beneath the first signboard is the same young rabbit shown in the second photo. Its abdomen is already distended, and it is unlikely to survive through the weekend.)

Matsuzaka saying goodbye to his friend Matsuzaka fathered many rabbits on the island 9/25/23 It has been 10 years since we started to come to Okunoshma. I still can not forget how excited I was to see many rabbits run up to me during our first visit to this island. I just could not realize how things could deteriorate this bad in 10 years. People poking rabbit nests with tree branches. People climbing walls where rabbit nests are and destroying them potentially killing babies. People reaching hands into rabbit nests hoping to catch them. When rabbits don’t eat the food shoved at their nose, people get frustrated and start hitting and kicking them. People chase rabbits and end up stepping on them. Vast majority are kids doing these things while their parents ignore their behaviors. Parents are okay with kids actions as long as they have a good time. There’s no control on the island to protect rabbits. No park rangers or people with authority. The island has only volunteers like us who tell people not to mistreat rabbits and get yelled back if we say anything. Matsuzaka rabbit did not have to die. He was chased and cornered by kids into the bushes where he lived, where he got stepped on and his hips were broken. Matsuzaka was 5 years old, a very popular rabbit but not as agile as he used to be and probably could not escape this persistent chase by kids. Michael witnessed multiple chases on Matsuzaka and other rabbits and told people to stop. We have come to the island many times over the years to help sick and injured rabbits. We explained to people what to do and not to do many times. Hoping that with education, people will change but nothing changed. People still chase rabbits and over feed them and rabbits end up being injured, sick and ultimately die. Even we could save one rabbit, three still died. We realized that our efforts had no impact. As Michael said, it's like trying to put out a fire in a high-rise building with a short household hose. While many companies make profits off the rabbits, rabbits are paying with their lives. Not one yen goes to the rabbits or their care. Injured or sick rabbits as a result of human cruelty are not rescued or treated. They simply end up dying within days if not overnight. The only thing that is protected are businesses who exploites rabbits. Okunoshima became an island of animal abuse. This should never be tolerated. I hear the rabbits voices screaming every day "Protect Me, Help Me!”

Rabbit dying of heat stroke on Ohkunoshima 9/9/23 This was one of the rabbits who suffered from heat stroke and passed away less than 4 hours after she was found. These rabbits will face abnormally hot summer this year, something they never experienced before. Many will most likely to die. If you want to help them, please visit the island and help to provide water for them. If you see a rabbit struggling from heat stroke, place cold towel inside ear and/or over their body. Placing cold drink from vending machine by their bodies helps as well. Thank you for your cooperation and helping save these rabbits.