Mountain hares face welfare threats from culling on grouse moors, habitat degradation, and the impacts of climate change on their snow-dependent camouflage.
Mountain hare welfare is threatened by both direct and indirect human impacts. Culling, which can be intensive and targets large numbers of animals in short periods, causes both direct mortality and disturbance-related stress in surviving individuals. The welfare of hares shot but not immediately killed in culling events is a particular concern given the challenging terrain. Climate change creates a mismatch between the timing of white winter coat development and actual snow cover, leaving animals highly visible to predators during periods that evolution would have predicted to be snow-covered. These compounding pressures require both regulatory protection from culling and broader climate action.