Uncontrolled visitor feeding drives Japan’s Rabbit Island into ecological crisis

Researchers from Fukushima University, the National Institute of Technology Kure College and Kobe College reported in the Journal of Ecotourism that unchecked tourist feeding on Okunoshima has pushed the introduced European rabbit population far beyond the island’s carrying capacity. The surplus rabbits have stripped low-lying vegetation, forming a visible “rabbit line” where bushes and young trees are gone. Wild boars, attracted by leftover food, now scavenge rabbit carcasses, eat discarded scraps and have begun actively hunting live rabbits—behavior rarely seen in the species.

Scavenger birds such as crows and black kites also congregate around these feeding spots, further reshaping the local food web. The study notes that rabbit numbers surged before the COVID-19 pandemic and fell when travel halted, underscoring the link to tourism. Authors recommend strict feeding rules, monitoring of rabbit populations, vegetation recovery programs, and cooperation among local authorities, businesses and scientists to protect the island’s environment.