If you’ve never seen a pair of rabbits fighting, the images taken by two Japanese photographers below are definitely a must-see.
Hovering in mid-air like a scene from a martial arts movie, these two rabbits are engaged in a fierce battle. Ready to throw punches and side kicks, the “black belt” duo looked like they had been training for months.
Posted on Twitter, the photos sparked a flurry of responses as users compared the captured images to a series of manga anime and fighting games. The two photographers who skillfully captured the breathtaking moment of the rabbits are Maruya and Takayuki Nakamura, who live in Kumamoto, on the island of Kyushu.
Claiming to be uta rabbit photographers, Maruya, 43, and Takayuki, 47, went to Okunoshima Island, also known as Rabbit Island, to take the photos.
“I have been going to Okunoshima and photographing rabbits since 2000,” Maruya told The Epoch Times.
With a circumference of just 4.2 km, the tiny island of Okunoshima is home to a very large rabbit population, with no natural predators. The rabbits are said to have become so accustomed to visitors that they will even chase them for food. On a funny note, with kung fu skills like these, we should hope they don’t surpass those of humans.
Takayuki was the one who discovered photography first, starting with photography as a student, and Maruya became involved in the field under his influence. Both are very talented and after working as a photographer at a professional studio, Maruya became a freelancer.
Traveling to Okunoshima was also an opportunity for Maruya and Takayuki to meet the founders of Usagi Okunoshima, a non-profit association dedicated to protecting the island’s family of giant rabbits. As nature and animal lovers, the couple are also strong supporters of rabbit protection.
“I love rabbits more than anything else, and we want to prevent humans from negatively impacting their lives,” Maruya said.
On the day the couple took these amazing battle photos, they initially only spotted a single rabbit “showing off his powers” from afar. In order not to disturb the bunny, they just stood at a distance and started blinking. Not long after, the energetic fight scene begins with another bunny looking to flex his muscles, and the pair take it all in. Maruya and Takayuki took about 100 photos that day.
The fighting rabbits were given some treats after their session in the ring: visitors to the island were encouraged to feed the friendly rabbits.
Some reports say that Okunoshima’s rabbit population originated from a set of eight rabbits released by schoolchildren five decades ago. There is also speculation that the first settled rabbits were test subjects set free after World War II. Either way, the island’s four-legged inhabitants now look happy and full of energy.
