Amami Ōshima is a subtropical island in southwest Japan that’s been under the spotlight recently because of its successful efforts to eradicate mongooses that were killing local rabbits.

Japan has declared the eradication of “predator” mongoose brought to the UNESCO Natural World Heritage site of Amami-Oshima ...

However, the snakes are mostly active at night when mongooses prefer to sleep and the toothy mammals turned their ravenous appetites to local Amami rabbits, drastically reducing their numbers. The ...

The rabbits only live on Amami Oshima and one other island and are listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. Photo for representational purposes.

However, the snakes are mostly active at night when mongooses prefer to sleep and the toothy mammals turned their ravenous appetites to local Amami rabbits, drastically reducing their numbers.

Wagtails, also known as mongooses, which were brought to Amami-Oshima Island, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site in Japan, ...

Rabbits only live on Amami Oshima and one other island and are listed as endangered Tokyo: Japan has wiped out all mongooses on a subtropical island, officials said, after the animals ignored the ...

As a result, instead of focusing on snakes, the mongooses chose to feast on the Amami rabbits, a critically endangered species that could only be found on Amami Oshima and another isolated island.