After the excitement of the holiday season and the start of a new semester, January can feel like a real drag. Stresses that were temporarily displaced during the break seem to be falling like snow from the sky. Issues like the climate, poor governmental decisions, and other conflicts (not to mention the start of “midterms” coming in February) now feel more real than they did during the holiday season. Despite, the grey-ness of January, never fear, for I have found the cure to the January Blues!
Have you ever heard of Rabbit Island?
The island of Okunshima, located near Japan, commonly referred to as Usagi Jima (Rabbit Island), is home to about 1,000 rabbits. The bunnies, which have no predators on the island, spend their days lounging around the island and being fed by tourists, displaying none of the characteristic skittishness of normal rabbits.
The reason behind the large rabbit population on this small Japanese island is not exactly known, although there are two primary theories. Although today the island is uninhabited (except for the rabbits), during the second World War, Okunshima was the site of a research facility which tested the effects of poisonous gases. Some believe the role of guinea pigs was fulfilled by a group of rabbits, who either escaped, or were released after the end of the war, thus beginning the island’s rabbit colony. Another theory states that a small group of rabbits were released onto the island in the 1970’s and created the large population that people see today.
Regardless of how these rabbits came to inhabit Okunshima, there is no denying there are an enormous number of photos and videos of peoples’ interactions with this bold population of bunnies, who rely on the treats brought by tourists to supplement the limited vegetation naturally available on the island.
This is what complete happiness looks like…
Just look how sweet this little guy is!
And just look at those faces…
While looking at cute videos and photos of bunnies may not fix the issues you face this new year, it’s only healthy to take a break. Use your bunny-fueled energy to make this year the best you can!
Text Source: 1
Image Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6