Tourist feeding helped push Japan’s famous Rabbit Island beyond its natural limits

Bunnies Lure Tourists to Japanese Island Unregulated tourist feeding has pushed Japan’s famous "Rabbit Island" past its natural ecological limits, stripping local plant life bare and causing wild boars to hunt live rabbits.On Okunoshima, an island in Hiroshima Prefecture, heavy feeding by visitors has driven rabbit numbers far beyond what the local environment can naturally support. According to a study published in the Journal of Ecotourism on July 29, 2026, this constant stream of food is reshaping local animal behaviour and causing widespread environmental damage.The study was written by Shingo Kaneko, a professor in the Faculty of Symbiotic Systems Science and Engineering at Fukushima University, alongside co-author Asami Ogura, an associate professor at the National Institute of Technology (KOSEN), Kure College, in collaboration with researchers from Kobe College. The project began after creators of the children's picture book Usagi no Shima (Rabbit Island) asked the team to investigate the origins of the animals and check on local wildlife health.Wild boars adapt to hunt live preyThe extra food brought by tourists has altered how different animal species interact across the s...