Wildlife

Hare Welfare in the UK and Beyond

Brown hares are declining across the UK and Europe, facing welfare threats from coursing, agricultural intensification and disease.

Key Facts

UK brown hare populations declined 80% between 1960 and 1995
Hares have no underground burrow — leverets are born above ground in forms, highly vulnerable
Hare coursing using dogs was banned in England and Wales in 2004 but continues illegally
Spring agricultural operations cause significant leveraged mortality from machinery
European brown hare syndrome (EBHS) causes fatal haemorrhagic disease in populations

Welfare Considerations

Hares in coursing contexts suffer acute fear, exhaustion, injuries and death from dog pursuit. Leverets killed by farm machinery suffer acute trauma with no prior suffering signal. Agricultural intensification removes the tall grass margins where hares shelter and breed. Illegal coursing gangs cause not only hare suffering but also rural intimidation of landowners reporting the crime. The welfare case for hare coursing abolition and enforcement is unambiguous.

What You Can Do

Report suspected illegal hare coursing immediately to the police via 999
Support the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust hare monitoring programmes
Leave field margins and headlands uncut until July to protect leveret mortality
Advocate for stronger enforcement resources for wildlife crime including hare coursing