Brown hares are among Britain's most charismatic wildlife species, subject to both legal protection and ongoing threats from coursing, habitat loss, and intensification of agriculture.
Illegal hare coursing causes obvious welfare harm through injury and death to pursued animals, but the stress of pursuit - even when the hare escapes - represents a significant welfare cost at population scale. Hares subjected to repeated coursing in areas of high illegal activity show altered habitat use patterns consistent with chronic fear. The welfare and conservation case for effective enforcement of the Hunting Act ban is strong. Simultaneously, habitat improvement through agri-environment schemes addresses the underlying cause of population decline.