Brown Hare Welfare: Speed, Space, and Farmland Needs

Brown hares are charismatic farmland mammals whose population has halved since the 1960s. Their welfare depends on mixed farming landscapes that provide both food and cover throughout the year.

Key Facts

UK brown hare populations have declined by approximately 80% since 1960, from over 4 million to under 1 million animals
Brown hares are entirely above-ground animals — they shelter in shallow forms in vegetation rather than burrows
Leverets are born fully furred with open eyes and left alone in vegetation, collected by the mother only to nurse
Coursing with dogs was banned in the UK in 2004 but illegal hare coursing continues and causes significant welfare harm
Hares run at speeds of up to 70 km per hour and require large open areas of mixed crops for foraging and cover

Welfare Considerations

Brown hare welfare is compromised by loss of the mixed farming mosaic they evolved to exploit. Monoculture fields provide neither the diverse food sources nor the structural complexity that hares need. Agricultural machinery kills leverets during cutting operations. Illegal coursing causes extreme distress and death. Hares are hunted legally in some circumstances without welfare standards for wounding follow-up. Recovery of brown hare populations requires a combination of farming practice change, illegal coursing enforcement, and setting season management.

What You Can Do

Report suspected illegal hare coursing to police immediately — it is a serious criminal offense
Advocate for agri-environment schemes that maintain field margin habitat for brown hare populations
Support wildlife organizations monitoring brown hare populations and investigating illegal coursing
If cutting grass or crops, undertake cutting from the center outward to allow leverets to escape the machine
Oppose the use of hares for target shooting unless it is managed within a sustainable bag limit