Brown Hare Welfare and Conservation in Britain

Brown hares face welfare threats from intensive agriculture, hare coursing and unsympathetic land management that has caused significant population decline.

Key Facts

UK brown hare populations have declined by 80% since the 1960s
Hares rely on surface nesting in grass tussocks called forms with no underground burrow
March hare boxing is females repelling unwanted male attention, not males fighting each other
Leverets are born fully furred and mobile but hidden in separate locations by the mother
Hare coursing is illegal in the UK under the Hunting Act 2004 but still occurs

Welfare Considerations

Brown hares experience welfare impacts from multiple directions: agricultural operations that destroy forms and leverets, illegal coursing that causes exhaustion, injury and death, and pesticide use that depletes their food sources. Individual hares caught in coursing experience acute terror and physical injury. Those that survive harvest machinery may suffer wounds. Agri-environment management providing grassy field margins, late cutting of grass and reduced pesticide use directly improves individual welfare outcomes while supporting population recovery.

What You Can Do

Report suspected hare coursing to the police using 999 if in progress or 101 otherwise
Support agri-environment schemes that provide suitable hare habitat on farmland
Advocate for stronger enforcement of the Hunting Act against illegal coursing
Participate in citizen science surveys tracking brown hare populations