Man arrested on suspicion of killing Rabbit Island bunny
A 25-year-old man from Shiga Prefecture was arrested on January on suspicion of inflicting cruelty on a rabbit on Okunoshima Island, which is popularly known as “Rabbit Island.”
Police were called after the man was allegedly seen kicking the rabbit on the promenade on Rabbit Island, a former manufacturing base for chemical weapons which has become a popular tourism attraction for its large rabbit population. Reports say that the man admitted to the charges when questioned by the police and arrested on suspicion of violating the Animal Welfare Act. The rabbit was dead by the time the police arrived.
A large number of rabbit have been found dead on the island in recently months with Chugoku Shinbun reporting that at least 77 dead animals have been discovered since November last year. The newspaper reports that according to officials a total of 13 dead animals were confirmed dead on November 26th and 28th, 19 on December 17th and 18th, and a total of 45 dead animals were confirmed dead between the 9th and 12th of this month.
Police are reported to be investigating whether there is a connection between this week’s incident and the other deaths.
Update (1/24):
It is reported that the suspect stated in a police interview on January 23 that, “While I think rabbits are cute, I was also curious about how they would react if I bullied them.”
Update (1/25):
RCC has a report which contains video footage of the man accused of abusing and killing the rabbit sometime before the attack. The report also includes an interview with photographers @uta_utao and @uta_utako who took the video and intervened during the assault. The pair are regular visitors to the island, and concerned about the recent spate of suspicious deaths among the rabbit population, took the video and followed perpetrator when they noticed his the 25-year-old’s suspicious behavior.
Update (2/11):
The young man suspected of killing up to 99 rabbits on Okunoshima “Rabbit” Island has been rearrested. He is suspected of kicking another two rabbits to death on two visits in January (1/9 & 1/21) and injuring two rabbits in the mouth with scissors late at night (1/21). He is said to have admitted to the charges, and videos of rabbit abuse have been found on his phone.
Source: RCC News | Chugoku Shinbun | Chugoku Shinbun | RCC News | RCC News
