Wild Hare Welfare and Field Sports

Wild hares face welfare threats from coursing, hunting with dogs, and intensive arable farming — their legal protection remains incomplete in some jurisdictions.

Key Facts

Mountain hares and brown hares have legally distinct protections in the UK — brown hares may be shot as quarry during open season.
Hare coursing — using dogs to chase and catch hares — was banned in England, Scotland, and Wales in 2002 but continues illegally.
Illegal hare coursing causes acute suffering — hares die from injuries inflicted by dogs, or survive with serious wounds.
Brown hare populations have declined by 80% since the 1960s due to agricultural intensification and year-round shooting.
Mountain hare culls on grouse moors, conducted to reduce tick burdens in red grouse, kill tens of thousands of hares annually.

Welfare Considerations

Wild hare welfare is shaped by both legal and illegal field sports activity and agricultural change. Illegal hare coursing causes acute suffering through predator attack in an uncontrolled setting without welfare oversight. Legal shooting of brown hares can cause wounding injuries if shots are poorly placed. Mountain hare culls — often conducted by driven shooting rather than individual stalk — can cause wounding that goes unaddressed. All aspects of hare management require welfare assessment commensurate with the known suffering capacity of these intelligent prey mammals.

What You Can Do

Report suspected illegal hare coursing to the police — record vehicle details and event location.
Support campaigns for strengthened hare protection including close seasons that protect leverets (young hares).
Donate to organisations monitoring hare populations and investigating illegal coursing activity.
Advocate for mountain hare protection on grouse moors as an alternative to lethal cull management.