Planet Earth has an abundance of beautiful islands. When one thinks of an island holiday, Thailand, Mauritius, the Bahamas and the Philippines are among the images that spring to mind. There are, however, some rather unusual islands one can visit. Many holiday-makers enjoy the usual island-hopping getaways but if you want to change things up, check out these islands. They are most famous for being home to a singular species of animals…
1. Cat Island, Tashirojima, Japan
This island is home to a commune of cats, and these felines outnumber the humans here by roughly 6:1. There is a local belief that feeding stray cats will bring good fortune and wealth. Meanwhile, there are no dogs on the island at all. Ferries from Ishinomaki that run to and from the island three times a day for visitors to go and witness its uniqueness first-hand.
2. Rabbit Island, Ōkunoshima, Japan
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I visited the Rabbit Island in Japan!! Link to video in my bio . #rabbitisland #okunoshima
Another amazing Japanese island, Rabbit Island is home to an estimated 1,000 bunnies. The island is accessible from Hiroshima via ferry. It was originally used for manufacturing chemical weapons during WW1, where its rabbits were used as test subjects. Nobody knows how the population became as prolific as it is today, as American soldiers previously euthanised the animals that remained in the laboratories.
3. Seal Island, Cape Town, South Africa
Seal Island is approximately two hectares in size and has a whopping 64,000 cape fur seal residents. The island is accessible by multiple charter services from the Hout Bay harbour as well as from the Simon’s Town harbour. Due to the high seal population, great white sharks are often spotted hunting the sea mammals throughout the year, but a sighting on a boat trip is not guaranteed.
4. Monkey Island, Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico
Another island with a history engrained in scientific research, Monkey Island is home to 1,200 Rhesus monkeys. The original troop was brought to the island from India and today, its descendants roam freely over the land mass. Monkey island is not open for daily tours but those interested in seeing this spectacular site are welcome to kayak closely to the coast where the waters are shallow.
5. Snake Island, Ilha de Queimada Grande, Brazil
Snake Island is the only home for the critically endangered golden lancehead pit viper. The island is roughly 430,000 square meters large and has a snake population of between 2,000 and 4,000. The resident species is one of the world’s deadliest species of snakes, and as a result visitors are forbidden from setting foot on the island.
