off of trees and it does so occasionally which can cause major damage to trees and forests. They will sometimes eat the bark from a bonsai tree in Asia. Conservation The Japanese hare population seems to be stable, though the quality or/and size of their habitat is decreasing. On a local level, they are used in hunting and specimen collecting. They are threatened by the creation of urban and industrial areas, water management systems, such as dams, hunting, trapping and invasive and non-native diseases and species. It is not known if they occur in any protected areas. Human interaction In some places, it has become a nuisance animal. It is hunted in certain regions for food, fur, pelts, and to help curb its growing numbers. The mythic Hare of Inaba has a place in the mythology of Japan as an essential part of the legend of the Shinto god Ōkuninushi. References Lepus Endemic mammals of Japan Mammals described in 1845