Mountain hares are legally culled on Scottish grouse moors to control tick burdens on red grouse, creating a major welfare and conservation controversy.
Mountain hare culling causes acute welfare harm through shooting, and when poorly executed, wounding and slow death. The welfare justification offered — reducing tick burdens on red grouse — involves trading individual hare welfare for economic returns from grouse shooting. Alternative tick control methods including acaricide treatment of deer (the primary tick host) and habitat management offer potential tick reduction without hare killing. The welfare of the broader mountain hare population is also relevant: local population crashes from intensive culling threaten genetic diversity and long-term population viability in culled areas. Scottish Natural Heritage population monitoring provides data on culling impacts. The licensing system requires demonstration of need and minimisation of harm as welfare safeguards.