The Amami rabbit is found only on the islands of Amami Oshima and Tokunoshima in Kagoshima Prefecture. The animal is designated a special national natural treasure in Japan and is registered on ...

Instead, mongooses began preying on rare native species including the Amami rabbit — a highly protected species that has been designated as a "special natural monument." The island's mongoose ...

The mongooses quickly multiplied and started attacking rare wild animals, such as the Amami rabbit, which is listed on the red list for endangered species. The government in fiscal 2000 started ...

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.