WILDLIFE ISLANDS

Ever wondered what it’d be like to visit an island dedicated to the cute, cuddly and wild?

According to Distant Journeys there are several islands dedicated just to wildlife:

 

Kangaroo Island, Australia

Just off Australia’s south coast is a pristine paradise that still looks very much as it was when intrepid explorers first arrived and clapped eyes on a kangaroo. Aptly named, this island is home to many mobs of bouncing marsupials out on its plains.

But head into the forest and other native species can be seen. These include the echidna, an unusual mammal with a beak and an egg-laying habit. There are few stranger sights than this living bridge between reptiles and mammals.

 

Okunoshima, nicknamed Rabbit Island, Japan

Usaga Jima (Japanese for ‘Rabbit Island’) is situated in the Sea of Japan. This island’s dark history includes its use as a testing ground for poison gas during the Second World War. But, today it’s known for fluffy bunny rabbits.

No-one knows how they all got here, but some claim they escaped the poison tests. However they arrived, the small island is home to hundreds of wild rabbits that roam the forests and paths, chase tourists and regularly go viral on YouTube.

Just a short ferry ride from the mainland, the island is now a popular tourist resort with a small golf course, camping grounds and beautiful beaches.

 

Lamu Island, nicknamed Donkey Island, Kenya

Just off the coast of Kenya, Lamu makes up for what it lacks in size by the sheer quantity of its donkeys. They even outnumber cars and are essential to the livelihood of the islanders.

You will find 24,000 people on the island with access to just two cars. Yet, there are 6,000 donkeys to help keep things on the move.

Lamu has been called the donkey capital of Africa and, quite rightly, its residents took this as a compliment. The island comes to an annual standstill when there is a day devoted to donkey races and the awarding of Mr and Mrs Donkey.

 

Puffin Island, Wales

This uninhabited island off the eastern tip of Anglesey was once known as Priestholm, thanks to its resident monks. Today the island is a Special Protection Area for wildlife.

But, it’s not just puffins you’ll see here. The island has a cormorant colony of over 750 pairs, and good numbers of guillemot, razorbill, common eider, black guillemot and kittiwake nesting on it.

The bird that lends its name to the island once had a population of more than 2,000 pairs, but the accidental release of rats has unfortunately brought that number down. Today you’ll find a few pairs and an increasingly stringent rat reduction programme.

 

Seal Island, South Africa

It’s just four miles from the northern beaches of False Bay (near Cape Town) to Seal Island, yet it feels a world apart. Great numbers of Cape fur seals call this five-acre spot home.

The island rises to no more than about four to six metres above the high tide mark and there is no vegetation, soil or beach. However, there is rock and there are seals: it’s estimated as many as 64,000.

It’s not just wildlife lovers who are attracted here, though. The great white shark does its best to curb any danger of overpopulation.