Who is predator for Ohkunoshima rabbits?

Crows are always looking for food

8/28/26

Crows are known for their intelligence, but the crows on Okunoshima are skilled hunters. While they once merely scavenged for leftover food or carcasses, over the years they have evolved to prey on live rabbits.

Using their exceptional powers of observation, they target rabbits that are sick or injured, pecking at them whenever the opportunity arises; once they judge the prey to be sufficiently weakened, they deliver the killing blow, starting with the eyes before quickly tearing open the abdomen to devour the internal organs.

I once witnessed a sick baby rabbit being attacked in the span of just five minutes when my attention had briefly wandered.

Crows constantly observe the humans who feed them; often, when a person leaves food behind and walks away, a glance back reveals the crows already eating it on the road.

They display remarkable teamwork, too: one crow keeps watch over a burrow while another effortlessly snatches up a baby rabbit emerging from it and flies off.

When humans leave food at a burrow, the crows learn that rabbits are living there.

While wild boars do attack weakened rabbits these days (catching healthy ones is somewhat difficult), crows remain the island's number-one natural predator for rabbits.

Ultimately, the practice of feeding animals on Okunoshima has attracted natural predators and altered the ecosystem.