Hare coursing - the illegal practice of setting dogs to chase hares - causes significant welfare harms. Understanding enforcement challenges helps effective advocacy.
Hare coursing welfare harms are among the most clear-cut in wildlife crime. A hare chased by dogs until exhaustion and caught experiences acute pain, fear, and injury - a welfare harm with no conservation or management justification. The welfare case for robust enforcement of the Hunting Act coursing provisions is unambiguous. Operation Galileo has demonstrated that targeted police attention, combined with civil recovery orders that allow landowners to recover damages, reduces coursing activity. Reporting suspected coursing immediately to police (via 999 for active incidents) is the most effective individual welfare intervention. Supporting rural policing resources that enable dedicated wildlife crime response is essential.