Mountain hares are legally killed in large numbers on Scottish grouse moors to control tick-borne disease. This management practice raises serious welfare concerns and has driven significant population declines.
Mountain hare welfare is directly threatened by grouse moor management practices. Mass culling operations raise acute welfare concerns — the scale of killing and the conditions under which it occurs do not allow for welfare verification. The conservation case against culling is strong: mountain hare populations have declined catastrophically in managed grouse moor areas while remaining stable or increasing in unmanaged areas. Climate change creates an additional welfare dimension — hares turning white when snow is absent are more visible to predators, increasing predation risk and chronic stress. Full legal protection for mountain hares would address both welfare and conservation concerns simultaneously.