Wild Brown Hare Population Welfare

Brown hare populations have declined significantly across the UK - agricultural change is the primary driver with welfare implications.

Key Facts

UK brown hare populations have declined by over 75% since the 1960s
Arable intensification reducing field margin habitats has been the primary driver
Hares require mixed farmland with cereal crops, grassland, and field margins throughout the year
Leverets (young hares) are born above ground fully furred but highly vulnerable to machinery
Mountain hares in Scotland face different pressures including driven grouse management
Brown hare populations benefit from agri-environment schemes promoting field margins and wild bird cover

Welfare Considerations

Brown hare welfare is fundamentally a landscape-scale issue driven by agricultural simplification. Individual hares suffer the acute welfare impacts of agricultural machinery strikes, predation in degraded habitats, and exposure during harsh weather without adequate cover. Population recovery requires landscape-scale habitat improvement.

What You Can Do

Support Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and Wildlife Trust hare conservation work
Advocate for agri-environment scheme options specifically benefiting hare habitat
Buy food from farms participating in higher-tier agri-environment management
Report hare populations to local wildlife recording schemes for monitoring
Learn to distinguish brown and mountain hares as a first step to wildlife advocacy